[Crural arteries PTA in patients with diabetes]

The authors analyse the patients hospitalized with a neuroischemic diabetic foot. They evaluate experiences and results of the crural arteries percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the diabetic patients.

It is a retrospective analysis of the patients hospitalized during years 2005-2008 at the Department of Vascular Surgery of the Teaching Hospital J. A. Reiman Presov with the diabetic foot. During the study period 265 hospitalization in 205 patients were registered for complications of the diabetic foot. PTA of the crural arteries was performed on 74 lower extremities in 68 patients. 133 crural arteries were revascularized in this group of the patients. Indication for execution of the crural arteries PTA in the diabetic patients was critical limb ischemia on 68 revascularized lower extremities (91.9%).

Technical success (residual stenosis no more than 30%, unobstructed revascularized crural artery to periphery) was achieved on 93 revascularized crural arteries (69.92%). They have control examination minimally 12 months after PTA in 54 revascularized lower extremities of the 68 patients with the neuroischemic diabetic foot. From this subset of the patients 28 lower extremities (51.85%) are healed according to clinical examination, on 7 lower extremities (12.96%) clinical signs of critical limb ischemia remain, 10 times (18.52%) low amputation was performed and 9 times (16.67%) high amputation was executed.

The authors believe that PTA of the crural arteries is safe and effective method of critically ischemic diabetic foot revascularization. If revascularization is successful, it can effectively contributes to the lower extremity salvage of the patient with neuroischemic diabetic foot.