What is the kissing balloon technique in angioplasty?
This technique is most commonly used to perform angioplasty of the common iliac arteries. Often, stenoses of the proximal common iliac arteries are associated with large, eccentric, calcified plaques. Sequential, as opposed to simultaneous, angioplasty may displace the plaque and lead to compromise of the contralateral iliac artery. The kissing balloon technique mitigates this risk through the use of simultaneous angioplasty. This requires bilateral retrograde femoral artery access. If stents are being placed bilaterally, sequential placement of one stent may result in prolapse of its proximal portion across the origin of the contralateral common iliac artery, effectively “jailing” the other side. Therefore, the kissing balloon technique may also be useful with balloon expandable stents in this situation. The kissing balloon technique may be used for the dilation of complex bifurcation stenosis in other locations as well.
