Overview: techniques and indications of LDL-apheresis

In recent years, LDL-apheresis has emerged to be an efficient treatment of hyperlipidemia in patients who do not respond sufficiently to diet and lipid lowering drugs. A survey of LDL lowering extracorporeal procedures is presented. Among them, to date 5 procedures have been used clinically on a routine basis: unselective plasma exchange, semi-selective double filtration (including its modifications like thermofiltration and predilution/backflush) and three highly selective LDL-apheresis systems: LDL-adsorption on dextran sulfate coated cellulose beads or anti-apoprotein B-linked sepharose and heparin induced extracorporeal LDL and fibrinogen precipitation (the so-called HELP system). Advantages, limitations and special indications of these commercially available systems are discussed. If atherosclerosis can really be made regress by drastic reduction of elevated serum cholesterol levels as indicated by recent publications, lipid apheresis will no doubt play a major role in attaining this goal.