20th Anniversary of Transradial Angioplasty

Radial Approach

Radial Approach

We were honored to gain a new Twitter follower today: Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij, the “father of transradial intervention”, who notified us that this year is the 20th anniversary of the first transradial intervention: angioplasty done through the radial artery in the wrist. It was 1992 in Amsterdam that Dr. Kiemeneij’s group first began exploring ways to use the radial artery for interventional procedures, such as delivering balloons and stents. They were somewhat limited by the early equipment, but as catheters and stents became lower profile, thinner and easier to manipulate, the ability of physicians to use the radial artery increased. Most devices today can be delivered successfully using the radial artery.

Although the radial technique has been used worldwide for some time, it has only been in the past three or four years that the technique has started gaining acceptance in the U.S.

To assist in educating the professional and patient population in the U.S. about the this technique, Angioplasty.Org created the “Radial Access Center for Transradial Approach” in 2007, a special section devoted to information and news about the transradial technique, for both patients and physicians. The Radial Center features interviews with leading practitioners of the radial technique, such as Drs. Jeffrey Popma, Sunil Rao, Mauricio Cohen, John Coppola, Shigeru Saito and Jennifer Tremmel.

For interventional cardiologists and cath lab staff, Angioplasty.Org also maintains a listing of upcoming training courses in the transradial approach. For patients, there is a unique radial hospital locator that lists U.S. centers practicing radial angiography.

Happy Anniversary, TRI!

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