5 recent advancements in DCB therapy

Data have shown drug-coated balloon angioplasty has superior safety and efficacy in treatment of de novo and restenotic peripheral lesions compared with plain balloon angioplasty.

Cardiology Today’s Intervention has compiled a list of recent studies in which DCB therapy has showed promise in the treatment of patients with peripheral artery disease and femoropopliteal lesions.

DCB therapy confers improved efficacy in patients with in-stent restenosis

DCBs to treat patients with in-stent restenosis resulted in improved outcomes compared with plain balloon angioplasty, according to a meta-analysis published in EuroIntervention.

Salvatore Cassese, MD, senior physician at the German Heart Centre of the Technical University Munich, and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 367 patients (median age, 68 years) from four studies that compared DCB angioplasty (n = 188) with plain balloon angioplasty (n = 179). Patients were followed up for a median of 12 months.

DCB safe, effective at 2 years for PAD with femoropopliteal lesions

New 2-year data from the multicenter, prospective Global SFA Registry demonstrate long-term safety and efficacy of treatment with a DCB in a real-world population of patients with PAD and femoropopliteal lesions.

Of the 691 patients (mean age, 68 years) with PAD and femoropopliteal lesions treated with the Lutonix 035 DCB (Bard Peripheral Vascular), 99.4% were free from the composite safety endpoint of target vessel restenosis, major limb index amputation and device- or procedure-related death at 30 days, according to data published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Kaplan-Meier estimates for freedom from the safety endpoint were 92.1% at 12 months and 86.7% at 24 months.

DCB outperforms PTA in treating femoropopliteal disease

A new DCB demonstrated superior patency in treating femoropopliteal disease compared with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, according to 1-year results of two studies recently published in Circulation.

Researchers conducted two studies investigating the pharmacokinetic and clinical outcomes of the DCB (Stellarex, Spectranetics), which recently received FDA approval.

BMS with or without DCB effective for treatment of PAD

A bare-metal stent yielded favorable outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease as a stand-alone therapy or combined with a DCB, according to the 12-month results of two trials presented at the Charing Cross Symposium in London.

Researchers reported results from two studies of patients treated with the BMS (Pulsar-18, Biotronik).

DCB confers similar results in patients with standard or complex lesions

Patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal artery disease and complex lesions who were treated with a DCB experienced similar outcomes with patients with standard lesions, according to results presented at the Charing Cross Symposium.

Researchers analyzed data from 281 standard-use patients (mean age, 67; 63% men) and 1,125 wider-use patients (mean age, 69 years; 69% men) from the IN.PACT Global Study of a DCB (IN.PACT Admiral, Medtronic).