Endovascular treatment of the infrapopliteal arteries in hemodialysis patients with critical limb ischemia: is it justified?

To evaluate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of endovascular treatment of the infrapopliteal arteries (IPA) in hemodialysis patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).Between January 2005 and December 2010, patients undergoing hemodialysis who were treated with endovascular treatment of IPA were prospectively collected and evaluated with regard to demographics, clinical risk factors (including duration of hemodialysis), presentation of CLI, lesion type, target arteries, and treatment type. Follow-up was performed on clinical and duplex ultrasonographic evaluation at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and annually thereafter. End points included technical success, limb salvage, primary and assisted patency, and survival and were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors were analyzed by Fisher exact test for categorical data and the Mann-Whitney U test for nonparametric quantitative data.Thirty-nine patients (29 men; mean age: 70.6 ± 11 years) with 46 limbs and 91 target tibial arteries were treated. The mean duration of hemodialysis was 5.5 years. A trophic lesion was present in 95.7\% of the limbs. The intent-to-treat was made on 47 (51.6\%) tibial artery stenoses, 21 (23.1\%) obstructions <4 cm in length, and 23 (25.3\%) obstructions ≥4 cm in length. Multiple tibial arteries were treated in 60.9\% of the limbs. Technical success was obtained in 89\% of the target tibial arteries. The mean follow-up was 9.2 ± 9.9 months. At 1, 6, 12, and 24 months, limb salvage was 85.5\%, 72.5\%, 72.5\%, and 72.5\%, respectively. Multiple artery treatment was statistically related with limb salvage (P = 0.042). Primary and assisted patency rates were 85\%, 76.9\%, 70.8\%, 62.5\%, and 85\%, 76.9\%, 73.9\%, and 73.9\%, respectively, at the same follow-up intervals. Short occlusive tibial artery lesions had a high risk of reocclusion (P = 0.006). Survival rates were 89.5\%, 69.3\%, 43.4\%, and 36.2\% at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months. No end points were affected by duration of hemodialysis.Endovascular treatment of IPA in hemodialysis patients with CLI seems to be justified in terms of limb salvage and target vessel patency, but midterm survival remains poor.