COOK MEDICAL: G02972

Infrapopliteal occlusions in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) are a challenge. The failure rate when taking the traditional, antegrade approach has been reported as high as nearly 40%. For such patients, amputation may be the only remaining alternative. A new revascularization technique - the retrograde approach - aims to give physicians another chance at limb salvage. In cases with complex popliteal or tibioperoneal occlusions in which an initial antegrade approach failed, Montero-Baker et al. reported an 86.3% success rate with the retrograde approach.