Acute results and long-term outcome of transluminal extraction catheter atherectomy for saphenous vein graft stenoses.

Distal embolization of atheroma and thrombus is a major concern when performing balloon angioplasty in coronary saphenous vein grafts (SVGs). The transluminal extraction catheter (TEC) is designed to remove this material and may improve the safety of percutaneous treatment of SVG disease. We assessed the acute results and long-term outcome of 67 patients (mean age 65.6 +/- 8.1 years; range 47-83 years) who underwent 73 separate TEC atherectomy procedures. Eighty-eight SVG lesions were treated (mean age 8.7 +/- 3.8 years from bypass surgery). Procedural success (< 50% final diameter stenosis and absence of major complications) was obtained in 63 patients (86%). Adjunctive balloon angioplasty and/or directional coronary atherectomy was required in 69 of the procedures (95%). Major complications, occurring in 8 patients (11%), were acute closure in 4 (5%), resulting in Q-wave myocardial infarction in 3 and urgent bypass surgery in 1, and distal embolization in 4 (5%; 1 associated with Q-wave myocardial infarction). Angiographic follow-up was available for 50 patients and restenosis was present in 26 (52%). These data suggest TEC atherectomy can be performed in SVGs with an acceptable procedural risk, but restenosis remains a significant limitation which will require other strategies to overcome.