Will THUNDER and FAST trials slow the pace of SFA stenting?
The results of two trials presented at the recent Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Washington, DC, could have dramatic implications for the future of stenting in the superfemoral artery (SFA). The outcomes of the ‘Local Taxan With SHort Time and Exposure for RedUctioN of Restenoisis in Distal ArtERies (THUNDER) trial and Femoral Artery Stenting Trial (FAST) have highlighted both the benefits of using paclitaxel-coated angioplasty balloons and the limitations of SFA stenting in relatively short lesions. Dr Gunnar Tepe, assistant professor of radiology at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen, Germany, and principal investigator of the THUNDER trial told Interventional News, “The six-month outcomes gives us evidence that drug-coated balloons reduce restenosis in the superficial femoral artery.” In the THUNDER trial, 154 patients from three centres were randomized to receive an uncoated balloon (n=54), an uncoated balloon in combination with pac
