Gahlen Johannes, Koeppel Thomas, Prosst Ruediger L
Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls University, Heidelberg, Germany.
J Endovasc Ther. 2003 Dec;10(6):1117-9. doi: 10.1177/152660280301000615.
To report a rare case of chronic vascular occlusion by an undetected ruptured balloon fragment following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.
A 79-year-old man suffered from calf claudication 1 year after angioplasty for a short stenosis in the superficial femoral artery. During the femoropopliteal bypass operation, a ruptured angioplasty balloon was retrieved.
Endovascular treatment of arterial lesions always requires thorough pre and postinterventional check of the applied instrumentation. A damaged catheter must initiate an immediate search for lost intravascular objects.
