To evaluate the efficacy of the intra-arterial treatment of patients with arterial occlusion by acute thrombus.

This retrospective study was performed on 44 patients (28 men; 16 women; mean age -66.6 years; range 32-88 years) seen between January 1, 1999 and July 21, 2006, at the Chonbuk National University Hospital and clinically suspected and angiographically proven to have arterial thrombus. The mean symptom duration was 13.8 days (range; 0-31 days) and the treatment methods included IAUK thrombolysis, catheter aspiration thrombectomy, PTA, and stent insertion.

The initial success rate for the different treatment methods was 93%. The success rate of the thrombolysis alone and the combined thrombectomy were 16% and 23%, respectively. Thirty-four patients had remnant stenosis following a thrmobolysis and thrombectomy. As a result, 27 patients were treated with PTA at a 30% success rate. Another 6 patients were treated by stent insertion without PTA at a 100% success rate. Stent insertion adjunct to PTA was successful in 89% of cases. The primary patency rates for 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment were 93%, 89%, and 89%, respectively. The secondary patency rates for 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment were 100%, 100% and, 100%, respectively.

Our study suggests that the treatment methods including the intervention of the thrombolysis, thrombus removal, angioplasty, and stent insertion for an acute thrombotic arterial occlusion (single or combined), would all be helpful depending on the status of the disease.