TRANSVENOUS SONOGRAPHY OF PERIPHERAL ARTE RIAL VESSELS - 1ST CLINICAL-RESULTS

intravascular ultrasound with 20 MHz/6.2-French transducer systems was used for arterial imaging via a transvenous approach. In 20 patients suffering from chronic arterial occlusive disease, 15 iliac arteries w ere evaluated during diagnostic angiography and 5 femoropopliteal arte ries during balloon angioplasty (n = 3) and laser-assisted angioplasty (n = 2), respectively. Transvenous sonography did not allow different iation of arterial wall layers and determination of vessel diameters a s is usually possible during intraarterial sonography. Visualisation o f iliac arteries was incomplete. In femoropopliteal vessels, guide wir es could be detected within the arterial lumen but not in complete occ lusions. Delivery of pulsed laser energy induced bright echoes near th e catheter tip within a distance of 1-2 cm. Transvenous sonography is insufficient for monitoring of peripheral angioplasty; however, improv ed imaging quality might be possible at lower frequencies.