Potential use of a low-molecular-weight heparin to prevent restenosis in patients with extensive wall damage following peripheral angioplasty.

The long-term outcome of primary successful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease (POAD) is frequently compromised by the development of restenosis, especially when extensive dissections result from the angioplastic procedure. Unfortunately, prevention of the occlusive process by means of drugs such as antithrombotics, anticoagulants, thrombolytics, corticosteroids, lipid reducers, or cytostatics has not been demonstrated convincingly. The authors sought to clarify whether such patients could benefit from the postsurgical administration of low-molecular-weight heparin. A total of 172 POAD patients with extensive dissections after PTA in the pelvic or upper leg regions were randomized for 7-day post-PTA intravenous treatment with either full heparinization or nadroparin calcium followed by adjunctive oral aspirin for 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the degree of stenosis (normal findings; stenosis 50%, > 80%, occlusion) before and after angioplasty, as well as 3 weeks and 3 and 6 months after dilation; secondary efficacy criteria included changes in the Fontaine stage and in the crurobrachial ratio. No significant treatment-related differences were found at the 3 post-PTA follow-up examinations with regard to the degree of stenosis. This was also the case for the subgroup of patients (n=62) who had undergone angioplasty in the pelvic region. By contrast, when angioplasty was performed in the superficial femoral artery (n = 110), the degree of restenosis was significantly lower (p<0.01) among patients receiving nadroparin calcium compared to those given heparin at week 3, month 3, and month 6. No intergroup differences emerged for secondary outcome measures in the long term or for safety parameters. These preliminary results indicate that patients with extensive dissections after PTA treatment for POAD in the upper leg region might benefit from a reduction in the rate of restenosis by administration of 7-day weight-adjusted nadroparin calcium.