Drug-eluting balloons in below the knee treatment.

The endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic disease of the infra-inguinal arteries has changed significantly since the introduction of drug-eluting balloon technology. The role of angioplasty using drug-eluting balloons for lesions of the superficial femoral and popliteal artery is now well established. The positive results of the use of drug-eluting balloons in the above knee segment could not be achieved in the below-the-knee segment. This paper will give an overview of the current status of drug-eluting balloon angioplasty for below-the-knee lesions, and will present a review of 2 single center registry, 5 randomized trials and a meta-analysis.