General Principles of Endovascular Therapy

Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of mortality in the developed world since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Although surgical revascularization has played a predominant role in the management of patients with vascular disease, the modern treatment paradigms have evolved significantly with increased emphasis of catheter-based percutaneous interventions over the past two decades. The increasing role of this minimally invasive vascular intervention is fueled by various factors, including rapid advances in imaging technology, reduced morbidity, and mortality in endovascular interventions, as well as faster convalescence following percutaneous therapy when compared to traditional operations. There is little doubt that with continued device development and refined image-guided technology, endovascular intervention will provide improved clinical outcomes and play an even greater role in the treatment of vascular disease. In this chapter, a framework is provided for a brief history of endovascular therapy along with an overview of commonly used endovascular devices. The fundamental techniques of percutaneous access is also discussed.