Percutaneous laser-facilitated thrombectomy: an innovative, easily applied, and effective therapeutic option for recanalization of acute and subacute thrombotic hemodialysis shunt occlusions.

Purpose: To report our experience with excimer laser-facilitated recanalization of acute and subacute thrombotic occlusions of hemodialysis shunts.

Methods: Twenty-one patients (16 women; mean age 54+/-19 years, range 31-76) presented with acute and subacute thrombotic occlusions of their hemodialysis shunts (4 Cimino, 17 prosthetic; 18 forearm, 3 upper arm); mean occlusion time was 4.1+/-3 days (range 1-14), and the thrombotic occlusion measured a mean 17.