Retrograde Transpopliteal Approach of Iliofemoral Lesions

Purpose: Aim of this study is to present our initial experience with the use of the retrograde popliteal artery access in patients with certain anatomic lesions. Methods: Between September 2008 and September 2010, 24 patients underwent a transpopliteal retrograde subintimal recanalization. Instead of its usage when antegrade recanalization failed, the “facedown” technique was preferred as a first choice in patients with common femoral artery stenosis or occlusion, proximal lesions of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) with no stump, severe obesity, tandem iliac, and SFA lesions. Results: Technical success was achieved in 91.7% of patients.The complication rate was 12.5%. The primary patency at 6, 12, and 18 months was 86.4%, 65.8%, and 65.8%, respectively. Conclusions: The retrograde popliteal artery approach can be considered as the primary SFA recanalization strategy in carefully selected patients, with competitive immediate and midterm results.