Outcomes and Patency of Endovascular Infrapopliteal Reinterventions in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia
Authors: Kleiss Simone F. , van Mierlo-van den Broek Patricia A. H. , Vos Cornelis G. , Fioole Bram , Bloemsma Gijs C. , de Vries-Werson Debbie A. B. , Bokkers Reinoud P. H. , de Vries Jean-Paul P. M. 
Published: January 2023

Purpose:

Endovascular revascularization is the preferred treatment to improve perfusion of the lower extremity in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Patients with CLTI often present with stenotic-occlusive lesions involving the infrapopliteal arteries. Although the frequency of treating infrapopliteal lesions is increasing, the reintervention rates remain high. This study aimed to determine the outcomes and patency of infrapopliteal endovascular reinterventions.

Methods:

This retrospective, multicenter cohort study of 3 Dutch hospitals included patients who underwent an endovascular infrapopliteal reintervention in 2015 up to 2021 after a primary infrapopliteal intervention for CLTI. The outcome measures after the reintervention procedures included technical success rate, the mortality rate and complication rate (any deviation from the normal postinterventional course) at 30 days, overall survival, amputation-free survival (AFS), freedom from major amputation, major adverse limb event (MALE), and recurrent reinterventions (a reintervention following the infrapopliteal reintervention). Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine risk factors for AFS and freedom from major amputation or recurrent reintervention.

Results:

Eighty-one patients with CLTI were included. A total of 87 limbs underwent an infrapopliteal reintervention in which 122 lesions were treated. Technical success was achieved in 99 lesions (81%). The 30-day mortality rate was 1%, and the complication rate was 13%. Overall survival and AFS at 1 year were 69% (95% confidence interval [CI], 55%–79%) and 54% (95% CI, 37%–67%), respectively, and those at 2.5 years were 45% (95% CI, 33%–56%) and 21% (95% CI, 11%–33%), respectively. Freedom from major amputation, MALE, and recurrent reinterventions at 1 year and 2.5 years were 59% (95% CI, 46%–70%) and 41% (95% CI, 25%–56%); 54% (95% CI, 41%–65%) and 36% (95% CI, 21%–51%); and 68% (95% CI, 55%–78%) and 51% (95% CI, 33%–66%), respectively. A Global Limb Anatomic Staging System score of III showed an increased hazard ratio of 2.559 (95% CI, 1.078–6.072; p=0.033) for freedom of major amputation or recurrent reintervention.

Conclusions:

The results of this study indicate that endovascular infrapopliteal reinterventions can be performed with acceptable 30-day mortality and complication rates. However, outcomes and patency were moderate to poor, with low AFS, high rates of major amputations, and recurrent reinterventions.

Clinical Impact

This multicenter retrospective study evaluating outcome and patency of endovascular infrapopliteal reinterventions for CLTI, shows that endovascular infrapopliteal reinterventions can be performed with acceptable 30-day mortality and complication rates. However, the short- and mid-term outcomes of the infrapopliteal reinterventions were moderate to poor, with low rates of AFS and a high need for recurrent reinterventions. While the frequency of performing infrapopliteal reinterventions is increasing with additional growing complexity of the disease, alternative treatment options such as venous bypass grafting or deep venous arterialization may be considered and should be studied in randomized controlled trials.