Paclitaxel-eluting stents for the treatment of femoropopliteal arterial stenoses: focus on the Zilver PTX drug-eluting peripheral stent

Abstract

Restenosis is one of the major limitations of the percutaneous treatment of peripheral artery disease, leading to the need for repeat interventions, limb loss and increased cost of therapy. The current standard of percutaneous treatment of stenotic lesions in the femoropopliteal arterial segment includes balloon angioplasty and bare-metal stenting. Recently, research in the field adapting the coronary arterial bed treatment model led to the inclusion of antimitotic drugs in the form of drug-eluting stents to combat neointimal proliferation and reduce the burden of restenosis. Randomized trial and registry data emerged indicating improved long-term outcomes with drug-eluting stents in peripheral arteries, lending the way to more widespread adaptation of this modality in the management of patients with peripheral artery disease.

Keywords:

• angioplasty
• drug-eluting stent
• peripheral artery disease

Financial & competing interests disclosure

G Moukarbel has received research support from Cook Medical, BARD and Biotronik. M Burket has received research support and speaker’s honoraria from Cook Medical, as well as research support from BARD and Biotronik. He has also acted as a consultant for Biotronik and Covidien. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Restenosis is one of the major limitations of the percutaneous treatment of peripheral artery disease, leading to the need for repeat interventions, limb loss and increased cost of therapy.

• The inclusion of an antimitotic drug to prevent neointima formation in the form of a drug-eluting stent can reduce the incidence of clinically significant restenosis.

• The Zilver PTX is a paclitaxel-eluting stent that has been shown in clinical trials to have a favorable safely and efficacy profile in the treatment of occlusive femoropopliteal disease compared to balloon angioplasty and bare-metal stenting.

• The increased cost of the stent is offset by the reduced need for repeat interventions and their associated cost.

Notes