Remote endarterectomy for occlusive iliac and superficial femoral artery disease.

Today's patients increasingly desire a low-risk procedure with rapid return to functional status following surgery. Many patients actively seek a minimally invasive option. During the last decade, minimally invasive surgical and radiological procedures emerged from their infancy to become an integral part of the treatment strategy in both peripheral arterial occlusive disease and aneurysmal arterial disease. The trend towards restoration of luminal patency, using the vessel itself as a conduit, can also be termed restorative intervention. As radiological percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has thus far proven unsuccessful in the long term for iliac and femoropopliteal occlusive lesions exceeding 10 cm, a new endovascular surgical procedure has been developed. A modification to the original ringstripper, used in semiclosed endarterectomy, was made to enable the technique of remote endarterectomy.