Background: Chronic haemodialysis patients are at an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Although percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has become a widely used therapeutic intervention for PAD, its outcome in haemodialysis patients remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to clarify the long-term outcome of PTA as a primary treatment for PAD in haemodialysis patients.
Methods: Consecutive 118 haemodialysis patients with 205 lesions and 108 non-haemodialysis patients with 143 lesions who underwent successful PTA as a first-choice therapeutic option for PAD were enrolled. Outcome measures included primary patency, limb salvage and survival.
Results: Incidence of diabetes, history of coronary artery disease and femoropopliteal lesion were significantly more frequent in haemodialysis patients (P = 0.008, 0.005 and 0.0001, respectively), but critical limb ischaemia and TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) lesion types occurred with comparable frequency in both groups. No patients had in-hospital complications. The 5-year primary patency, limb salvage and survival rates were significantly lower in haemodialysis patients (P = 0.01, 0.029 and 0.0024, respectively). On Cox multivariate analysis, haemodialysis was strongly predictive of amputation and all-cause death, but not of restenosis. In haemodialysis patients, TASC C+D lesion and ulceration/gangrene were independent predictors for restenosis and amputation.
Conclusions: The long-term outcome after PTA may be fully acceptable in haemodialysis patients who are at the highest risk of cardiovascular disease. PTA is a useful therapeutic strategy in haemodialysis patients with PAD, but PTA for TASC C+D lesions remains controversial.