Introduction: Data regarding the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) in contemporary routine care are scarce.
Materials and methods: Consecutive patients undergoing PMT of native lower limb acutely/subacutely occluded arteries were included.
Results: In all, 525 consecutive patients were available for analysis with a mean age of 66.7 ± 10.7 years. Almost two-third (n = 324; 61.7%) were men with acutely (n = 211; 40.2%) or subacutely (n = 314; 59.8%) occluded lesions presenting mostly in Rutherford-Becker category (RBC): 3 (30.3%) and 4 (47.6%). Mean lesion length was 159 mm (range 22-279 mm), with moderate and severe calcification in 119 (23.3%) lesions. PMT was performed solely in 161(27.2%), PMT + balloon angioplasty in 232 (39.1%), provisional stenting in 169 (28.4%), and thrombolysis in 77 (13.9%) interventions. Procedural technical success rate was 97.7%, with improvement in RBC persisting in 74.1% of patients after 12 ± 2.4 months mean time follow-up. Overall 30 days major adverse events (MAEs) was 6.9% with a mortality rate of 1.1%. No death was directly related to the device. After 12 months, a promising overall target lesion revascularization (TLR; 10.1%), non-TLR (6.6%), and major amputation rates (2.3%) were found. One-year mortality was 8%.
Conclusion: Treatment with PMT resulted in clinic and hemodynamic improvement in the majority of patients, thereby reducing the need for thrombolysis in a significant proportion of patients. Prospective studies in this issue are recommended.
Keywords: angiography; atherectomy; endovascular procedures; rotational thrombectomy; thrombolysis.