A new reporting standards document on Endovascular Treatment of Chronic Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) has been posted on the website of the July 2016 issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Lead authors are Drs. Mike Stoner and Keith Calligaro.
Peripheral arterial disease represents a spectrum from asymptomatic stenosis to limb-threatening ischemia. The last decade has seen a tremendous increase in the variety of endovascular devices and techniques to treat occlusive disease. Like many evolving technologies, the literature surrounding endovascular arterial therapy consists of mixed quality manuscripts without clear standardization. Accordingly, critical evaluation of the reported results may be problematic. As such, providers and their patients make treatment decisions without the full benefit of a comparative effectiveness framework.
The purpose of the new reporting standards document is to provide a summary for the reporting of endovascular revascularization techniques in the setting of chronic disease. Much of the work in this document is based on prior publications and standards proposed by the Society for Vascular Surgery. The authors have also made recommendations based on current literature and have attempted to acknowledge shortcomings and areas for future research. The various sections contain summaries of required reporting standards, and should serve as a guide for the design of clinical trials, and a reference for journal editors and reviewers when considering scientific work pertaining to endovascular therapy for chronic lower extremity arterial disease. An appendix is provided with commonly used abbreviations in this document.