Jena (UKJ/vdG) Balloon angioplasty is the treatment option for the advanced stage of intermittent claudication - if medication and targeted training can no longer alleviate the pain and impairments caused by constricted leg arteries. Under X-ray control, a catheter is guided inside the leg artery to the constriction and then carefully expanded with a balloon. This minimally invasive procedure is called angioplasty.
In cooperation with the Center for Clinical Studies, radiologists at Jena University Hospital, Germany, initiated an investigation to evaluate the efficiency of drug-coated balloon catheters (Luminor® by iVascular, Barcelona, Spain) versus uncoated ones. The coating substance paclitaxel is intended to prevent the dilated vascular site from re-constricting due to scarring. The success of the treatment was measured by the patient's ability to walk and by ultrasound examinations of the vascular permeability in two follow-up examinations. This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial enrolled a total of 171 participants at 11 centers throughout Germany. "Compared to the control group, in the group treated with drug-coated balloon catheters, there was better vascular permeability and less tissue formation at the former constriction two years after the procedure," Prof. Dr. Ulf Teichgräber summarizes the result. He is director of the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at Jena University Hospital and principal investigator.