Safety and Effectiveness of Retrograde Arterial Access for Endovascular Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia

Background

Retrograde arterial access (RA) of the popliteal, tibial, or pedal arteries may facilitate endovascular treatment of complex infrainguinal lesions in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Here, we assess the safety and efficacy of this technique.

Methods

A retrospective review of prospectively collected institutional data (consecutive M2S entries) was performed to identify patients with CLI undergoing peripheral vascular intervention from February 2012 through December 2017. Demographics, comorbidities, procedural characteristics, and outcomes were analyzed, and comparisons were made between outcomes of patients undergoing RA and those undergoing a standard antegrade access (SA) approach.

Results

Five hundred sixty-six patients were identified, of whom 26 (4.6%) underwent RA. Of these, 4 were accessed via the popliteal artery (15.4%), 13 via the tibial vessels above the ankle (50.0%), and 9 via pedal vessels (34.6%). RA facilitated procedural success in 96.2% of cases. There were no instances of distal embolization, perforation, or loss of distal target with RA. Primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency rates were consistently lower for RA patients than for SA patients, as was limb salvage and amputation-free survival. No difference was seen in overall survival.

Conclusions

RA represents a viable and safe option for revascularization when SA fails. Although outcomes are poorer than SA, this technique can be useful in CLI patients, especially when open surgical revascularization is not an option.