At MLCTO 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, the talk concerned the minimally invasive treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disease and diabetic foot.<\/p>\n
The peripheral arterial disease<\/a> is usually a sign of fat build-up in the arteries. It is treated minimally invasively with angioplasty and stent<\/a>, without open surgery.<\/p>\n These are arteries that have closed completely over a long period. MLCTO is a conference dedicated specifically to them: the acronym CTO stands for Chronic Total Occlusion. They are among the most demanding lesions, since the catheter has to cross hard, calcified material.<\/p>\n With special wires and balloons that open the lumen, while in selected cases atherectomy<\/a> catheters are used to remove the plaque. The general rule in the lower limbs is to avoid placing a stent where possible, because of the risk of restenosis.<\/p>\n Patients with diabetes often have extensive occlusions in the arteries below the knee. Restoring flow there is the precondition for a wound to heal and for amputation to be avoided. See in detail diabetic foot<\/a>.<\/p>\n From palpation of the pulses and the ankle-brachial index, where a value below 0.9 establishes the diagnosis, to colour duplex ultrasound and CT angiography when a procedure is being planned. See peripheral arterial disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When is a procedure needed? When the pain seriously limits daily life, or when there are signs of critical ischaemia: pain at rest, a wound that does not heal, a cold or blue toe. In the early stages the management is conservative, with medication, an organised walking programme, stopping smoking and control of the risk factors.<\/p>\n The minimally invasive approach is performed under local anaesthesia and with a puncture of a few millimetres. The patient is mobilised on the same or the next day. See the risk factors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n MLCTO takes place in Brussels and brings together specialists who work exclusively on chronic total occlusions. The exchange of technical experience has direct practical value, since each such lesion requires a different approach strategy. See the pioneering procedures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":1791,"template":"","class_list":["post-1790","sunedria","type-sunedria","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sunedria\/1790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sunedria"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sunedria"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bisdasmd.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What are chronic total occlusions?<\/h2>\n
How are they treated in a minimally invasive way?<\/h2>\n
How is it linked to diabetic foot?<\/h2>\n
How is the diagnosis made?<\/h2>\n
When is a procedure needed?<\/h2>\n
What does it mean for the patient?<\/h2>\n