This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial to determine the mechanisms of vascular healing. The study will evaluate subjects with peripheral artery disease (PAD) who require an endovascular intervention of the femoro-popliteal (SFA) artery to restore blood flow to the leg.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects at least 12 million Americans annually with more than half a million patients undergoing an endovascular or surgical revascularization procedure in order to treat the disease. Unfortunately, about two-thirds of patients still have blockages in the leg arteries, even after these procedures. Advances in Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer promise for understanding the mechanism of failure through insights into vessel wall composition, remodeling, and inflammation. Restenosis has a known relationship to inflammation. Advances in micro-catheter technologies offer the ability to deliver anti-inflammatory medications such as Dexamethasone (DEX) directly to the adventitia and advances in drug delivery on balloon surfaces to deliver paclitaxel to the intima of the artery. This study aims to investigate if patient-specific parameters affect angioplasty outcomes, if DEX has a biological effect on the vessel wall, and if this effect is through the reduction of inflammation.