Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Axillary Artery Stenosis

We present a case report of a patient with symptomatic bilateral severe axillary artery stenosis who underwent drug-coated balloon angioplasty. A 59-year-old female with a past medical history of peripheral artery disease presented with bilateral upper extremity claudication on exertion and episodes of syncope. Peripheral angiography showed significant bilateral upper extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) including bilateral severe axillary artery stenosis. The patient underwent endovascular management with drug-coated balloon angioplasty of the axillary artery bilaterally. Symptoms completely resolved and the patient continues to be on follow-up. Arterial duplex studies on both upper extremities showed no evidence of high-grade stenosis six years after intervention. Drug coated balloon angioplasty can be a successful modality of endovascular management for patients with symptomatic severe axillary artery stenosis. However, more randomized controlled data is required before making any conclusion.