Dextran or Saline Can Replace Contrast for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography in Lower Extremity Arteries.

Purpose: To examine the hypothesis that alternative flush media could be used for lower extremity optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in long lesions that would normally require excessive use of contrast.

Methods: The OPTical Imaging Measurement of Intravascular Solution Efficacy (OPTIMISE) trial was a single-center, prospective study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01743872) that enrolled 23 patients (mean age 68±11 years; 14 men) undergoing endovascular intervention involving the superficial femoral artery.

Role of interventions for atherosclerotic renal artery stenoses.

The role of and indications for interventions for renal artery stenosis have long been a hot topic of debate. Despite numerous reports and studies over the years, there remain many unanswered questions. Among them are: Who should be intervened upon? What should be the objectives of intervention? What is the optimal mode of intervention? More recently, several randomized studies have attempted to answer some of these basic questions, but unfortunately have left many unanswered questions.