Management of in-stent restenosis in peripheral arteries: are DEBs sufficient as stand-alone treatment for femoro-popliteal in-stent restenosis?

The treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in the femoro-popliteal artery (FPA) is one of the major challenges of endovascular therapy, occurring in up to 40% of femoro-popliteal lesions treated with bare-metal stents within 1 year of treatment. Drug-eluting technologies, involving local delivery of paclitaxel, are providing a new paradigm for the treatment of ISR. Preliminary experience shows promising results compared to other techniques such as cutting balloon angioplasty and debulking strategies. Based on available data, drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) seem sufficient as stand-alone treatment of FPA-ISR. However, larger evidence from randomized studies is warranted to identify the clinical and/or anatomical setting in which they could fail.