Endovascular SilverHawk directional atherectomy for thromboangiitis obliterans with occlusion of the popliteal artery

Abstract

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), also known as Buerger disease, is a nonatherosclerotic segmental inflammatory disease of small and medium-sized arteries of the distal extremities occurring predominantly in young men who are long-term tobacco smokers. We treated 2 patients who presented with TAO involving popliteal and tibial arteries. Directional atherectomy with a SilverHawk device was used to recanalize the arteries without major complications. During follow-up conducted using computed tomography or sonography, we observed that the treated vessels remained patent. These cases report illustrate the feasibility and immediate effectiveness of endovascular SilverHawk directional atherectomy in TAO patients with occlusion of the popliteal arteries.