Combined treatment of subacute and acute synthetic and venous bypass-graft occlusions with percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy and thrombolysis.

INTRODUCTION

Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) is a third choice of treatment for acute arterial occlusions, in addition to thrombolysis and surgical thrombectomy. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the combined treatment of PMT and local thrombolysis with thrombolysis therapy alone.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty-nine patients with acute (<14 days [n = 35]) or subacute (14-42 days [n = 34]) femoropopliteal bypass occlusions were treated with PMT combined with thrombolysis. Seventy-two patients with acute [n=40] or subacute [n = 32] femoropopliteal bypass occlusions were treated with thrombolysis alone. The thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) classification was used to assess the bypass occlusion. Local thrombolysis time and dosage, reopening time, time in the intensive care unit, necessary surgical re-interventions, and clinical outcome were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The TIMI scores were significantly higher in the PMT plus thrombolysis group than in the thrombolysis group (acute occlusions 1188 versus 935, p<0.001; subacute occlusions 935 versus 605, p<0.001). The total urokinase dosage, the total hours of thrombolysis, time in the intensive care unit, and total hospital stay in the acute PMT plus thrombolysis group were significantly lesser than those in the thrombolysis group. After 24h of treatment, the ankle-brachial index improved in all groups (p<0.001): in the acute and subacute PMT plus thrombolysis group to 0.63 ± 0.14 and 0.43 ± 0.08, respectively; and in the acute and subacute thrombolysis group to 0.51 ± 0.11 and 0.41 ± 0.04, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PMT combined with thrombolysis is a safe and very effective therapy for acute and subacute femoropopliteal bypass occlusions compared to treatment with thrombolysis alone.