Ep. 175 Treating Below the Knee Calcium with Dr. Kumar Madassery

CLI fighters Dr. Kumar Madassery and Dr. Sabeen Dhand discuss their approach to treating calcified arteries below the knee, including looking at newer technologies and choosing the appropriate device to effect real durable change to the calcified wall.

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SHOW NOTES

In this episode, interventional radiologist Dr. Kumar Madassery and our host Dr. Sabeen Dhand discuss atherosclerosis in tibial vessels below the knee and devices for atherectomy, angioplasty, and dissection repair.

While non-invasive imaging for calcium is still lacking, Dr. Madassery encourages operators to look for calcium on X-ray and ultrasound. He believes that visualization with ultrasound will improve if there is greater collaboration and standardization across all operators. Next, Dr. Madassery differentiates between intimal and medial calcifications. He notes that medial calcifications usually present as “railroad tracks” in diabetic and end-stage renal failure patients, while intimal calcifications lead to plaque ruptures. Each type is distinguishable with the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Dr. Madassery walks through his approach to calcified lesions. He says that using angiogram to identify whether a lesion is stenotic or occlusive is a crucial first step. He also emphasizes the importance of having a wire escalation strategy. The doctors highlight orbital and laser atherectomy, scoring balloons, and intravascular lithotripsy (IVL).

Finally, Dr. Madassery describes his perspective on arterial dissection, a common complication of balloon angioplasty. The decision to treat dissections is dependent on the operator, but he gives advice on weighing the pros and cons of treating. He speaks about the advantages of using the self-expanding Tack system to stent only specific problematic regions.