Progress on developing an effective below-the-knee drug-coated balloon.

Infrapopliteal atherosclerotic disease continues to present the greatest conundrum for effective endovascular therapies. To date, conventional angioplasty has been fraught with early restenosis and recoil in these complex, long, calcified, and occlusive lesions. The success of metallic drug-eluting stents in coronary arteries has not carried over to below-the-knee arteries. Initial promise in paclitaxel-coated balloons has not been demonstrated in large randomized clinical trials. Furthermore, the potential association between paclitaxel and mortality continues to generate tremendous controversy. The goal of this review article is to discuss the evolution and challenges of drug-coated balloon (DCB) science, present the clinical results of currently available tibial DCBs, and introduce new horizons in DCB technology.