Comparison of drug-coated balloons and plain old balloon angioplasty in hemodialysis patients with Below-The-Knee artery disease

Objective To descriptively compare the clinical outcomes of drug-coated balloons (DCB) and plain balloon angioplasty (POBA) in hemodialysis patients with Below-The-Knee (BTK) peripheral artery disease. Methods This retrospective study included 96 hemodialysis patients (DCB:55 POBA:41). Outcomes included changes in Rutherford grade, wound healing, freedom from target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), survival, and amputation-free survival. Results Both groups demonstrated improvement in Rutherford grade at 12 months. Wound healing occurred in 60.6% (95% CI 42.1–76.8) of the DCB group and 50.0% (95% CI 32.0–67.9) of the POBA group. Amputation-free survival was 72.7% (95% CI 59.0–83.0) with DCB and 67.7% (95% CI 52.5–80.0) with POBA. Freedom from CD-TLR was 78.9% (95% CI 65.0–88.5) for DCB and 91.6% (95% CI 79.0–97.0) for POBA. No clear between-group differences were observed. Conclusion No significant differences were observed between DCB and POBA in this small retrospective cohort.