Cilostazol Effects after Lower Extremity Revascularization. Historical Background and Review of the Literature

Introduction: Cilostazol is a selective cyclic inhibitor of the 3-phosphodiesterase type (PDE3) that is recommended to be administered in cases of symptomatic peripheral vascular disease (YEI).It was discovered as a chemical compound in the 1980s, in Takao Nishi laboratory in Japan.Objective: The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the efficacy of cilostazol administration in a YEI with intermittent claudication or moderate to severe lower extremity ischemia.Material and method: A systematic review of the literature was carried out where articles were searched in the international database PubMed.The year 2005 was set as a time limit for the publication date of the articles.The following keywords were used: cilostazol, peripheral arterial disease, revascularization and lower limb.A total of 95 articles were found, of which only 10 were selected for the present study.Results: According to the results of the current review, the use of cilostazol increases the ability to walk, improves the quality of life, reduces the rates of re-narrowing of vessels and stents, reduces the likelihood of amputation and is co-administered with other antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents.Conclusions: Cilostazol administration should be a possible treatment option for symptomatic YEI.Further research is necessary to determine its safety after three years.