Endoluminal treatment of vascular occlusive disease

The logical desire to avoid major cutaneous incisions and surgical dissection in the treatment of vascular occlusive disease has, in recent years, led to a surge of new therapeutic options whereby access to the diseased blood vessel is obtained via a distant site and treatment is effected from within the vessel. Such endoluminal treatment modalities include thrombolysis, balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, stenting, and stent grafting. For the purpose of this surgically oriented article, the latter two techniques are discussed.