Comparison of Sirolimus vs Paclitaxel Drug Eluting Balloon for Below-the-knee Angioplasty in Critical Limb Ischemia

Critical ischemia of the limb is considered one of the most severe clinical scenario of atherosclerotic disease involving the lower limb because it is associated with a high degree of mortality and morbidity. Below the knee arterial disease is the basis of critical limb ischemia (CLI). It is generally characterized by the involvement of multiple tibial arteries, long lesions and high rate of hronic total occlusions. Percutaneous treatment of tibial arteriopathy is characterized by high restenosis (70%). The advent of the drug-eluting strategy has led to a reduction in the restenosis of the femoral and tibial district with paclitaxel eluting devices. Data are not yet available on sirolimus eluting devices, both for the femoropopliteal and tibial districts. The objective of this study is to compare the remote patency of paclitaxel (Lithos) vs. the sirolimus (magic touch) eluting balloons in patients with CLI undergoing tibial artery revascularization.

The study will enroll only patients with optimal balloon angioplasty defined by angiographic and ultrasound criteria in order to avoid biases related to potentially unbalanced suboptimal angioplasty results in both groups. The patients will be followed by either interventionalists as well as diabetic foot specialists in order to optimize their surveillance for lesion healings and vessel patency and reduced dropout.

Participating

Centers Cardiovascular disease department (San Donato Hospital, Arezzo, Italy) O.U. Cardiology (San Iacopo Hospital, Pistoia, Italy) O.U. Cardiology (San Giuseppe Hospital, Empoli, Italy) O.U Hemodynamics (A.O.U.C. Careggi, FlorenCe, Italy)