ABSTRACT
Restenosis is the major limit of arterial recanalization devices. Directional atherectomy has allowed for the first to remove atheroma samples by a percutaneous approach. A group of patients affected by superficial femoral artery disease who underwent directional atherectomy were studied. The patients were treated for primitive stenosis, restenosis after balloon angioplasty and thermal laser angioplasty. Intimal hyperplasia was the distinctive feature of restenosis and the cells were identified by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy as smooth muscle cells in an active synthetic phenotype. No differences were found in the restenosis process after balloon angioplasty and laser thermal angioplasty. Directional atherectomy is a useful tool to ameliorate our knowledge in the restenosis process after invasive procedure of recanalization.
