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Review Article

Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Dysfunctional Hemodialysis Access: An Update

Kichang Han*orcid

Published online: April 27, 2026

Department of Radiology, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

*Corresponding email: kichang.rad@gmail.com
• Received: February 27, 2026   • Revised: April 21, 2026   • Accepted: April 21, 2026

© 2026 Korean Society of Interventional Radiology and Korean Journal of Interventional Radiology Institute

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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  • Hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction remains a major cause of morbidity and repeated interventions. Stenosis related to neointimal hyperplasia and altered hemodynamics leads to access flow limitation and thrombosis, particularly in AVFs. While percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is the standard first-line treatment, durability is often limited, resulting in frequent reinterventions. Drug-coated balloons, most commonly paclitaxel-based, have been introduced to inhibit restenosis and have demonstrated improved target lesion patency compared with conventional balloon angioplasty in several randomized trials, though outcomes vary by lesion location and study design. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence for drug-coated balloon angioplasty in dysfunctional arteriovenous access, discusses key trial endpoints, reviews safety and practical considerations, and highlights ongoing controversies and future directions.
  • Keywords: Angioplasty; Arteriovenous fistula; Renal dialysis
Maintaining long-term patency of hemodialysis vascular access remains a persistent challenge in patients with end-stage renal disease. AVFs, although preferred for durability and lower infection risk, frequently develop stenosis that compromises access flow and necessitates repeated interventions. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has long been the cornerstone of treatment and provides excellent immediate technical success [1,2]. However, contemporary outcomes after plain balloon angioplasty remain suboptimal: post-PTA primary patency at 1 year is typically only 40% to 65% for AVFs and 20 to 50% for AVGs [3-6]. Consequently, restenosis is common, and many patients require multiple repeat procedures to maintain access function.
Over the past decade, drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty has emerged as a strategy to improve the durability of endovascular treatment by combining mechanical dilation with local delivery of antiproliferative therapy. Overall, available evidence suggests that DCBs tend to provide favorable outcomes compared with plain balloon angioplasty in dysfunctional arteriovenous (AV) access; however, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and registry studies have also reported no statistically significant benefit in certain settings [7-9]. These mixed findings likely reflect differences in lesion location, access type, device characteristics, and procedural technique.
In this review, we first outline the pathophysiology of AV access stenosis from an interventional radiology perspective, then summarize the scientific rationale and clinical evidence for DCB angioplasty, discuss key technical and safety considerations, and highlight current knowledge gaps and future directions in the management of failed AVFs.
From an interventional radiology perspective, AV access stenosis can be understood as a cycle of repeated vascular injury followed by an exaggerated healing response. The initiating or upstream events include surgical manipulation during fistula creation, exposure of the vein to high-pressure arterial flow and abnormal shear stress, uremia-related endothelial dysfunction, and repeated needle cannulation during dialysis. These injuries activate endothelial inflammation and thrombotic signaling, which lead to the downstream biologic response including migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, extracellular matrix deposition, and progressive intimal thickening known as neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) [10-12]. As the lumen narrows, disturbed flow further amplifies endothelial injury, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of stenosis. Importantly for interventionalists, balloon angioplasty relieves the obstruction mechanically but also causes additional barotrauma, which represents another upstream injury that can trigger the same downstream proliferative cascade and explains the high rate of restenosis [13-15]. Thus, AV access stenosis is not purely a mechanical problem but a biologic response to repeated injury, providing the rationale for antiproliferative strategies such as DCBs to interrupt this upstream–downstream cycle and potentially improve long-term patency.
Recurrent stenosis in dysfunctional AV access is driven by NIH resulting from repeated vascular injury, as described above. DCBs were developed to interrupt this proliferative cascade at the time of angioplasty [16]. Unlike plain balloon angioplasty, which mechanically fractures the lesion but leaves the biological response unchecked, DCBs deliver an antiproliferative drug directly to the vessel wall during balloon inflation. Paclitaxel, the most widely used agent, stabilizes microtubules and arrests smooth muscle cell division, suppressing neointimal growth while allowing endothelial recovery [17,18]. Because of its lipophilicity, brief balloon contact can achieve sustained tissue retention and prolonged biologic effect [19].
The concept of local antiproliferative drug delivery has been validated in other vascular territories. DCBs were first widely adopted in femoropopliteal peripheral artery disease, where randomized trials showed improved patency compared with plain balloon angioplasty in selected lesions, and they later became an established treatment for coronary in-stent restenosis and small-vessel coronary disease [20,21]. Experience has also extended to venous stenoses, including AV access stenoses and central venous lesions, although outcomes have been more variable due to differences in vessel biology and hemodynamics [22]. These cross-territory experiences support the biologic rationale for DCB use while highlighting that AVFs represent a unique environment characterized by extreme flow, repetitive puncture injury, and complex upstream–downstream dynamics that may modify treatment response.
Commercial DCB platforms differ in several design features that may influence clinical performance (Table 1). Each device combines a balloon catheter, an antiproliferative drug, and an excipient that facilitates drug transfer. Balloon compliance and surface properties affect vessel wall contact, while drug dose density, coating stability, and excipient chemistry determine how much drug is retained during delivery and transferred into the vessel wall [23]. In practice, these differences contribute to variable patency outcomes among devices, particularly in lesions with elastic recoil, calcification, or inadequate predilation [24-27]. Accordingly, careful lesion preparation, appropriate balloon sizing, sufficient inflation time, and avoidance of geographic miss remain essential to maximize drug delivery and clinical benefit.
To date, most RCTs evaluating DCB angioplasty in dialysis access have focused predominantly on AVFs rather than grafts. Since the initial clinical reports in 2012, multiple RCTs have examined whether DCB angioplasty improves patency compared with plain balloon angioplasty [28,29]. Overall, a substantial portion of the literature suggests meaningful benefit, but results remain heterogeneous across trials.
The most influential evidence comes from the IN.PACT AV Access, a multicenter RCT enrolling 330 patients with dysfunctional native AVFs [24]. The target lesion primary patency (TLPP) was significantly higher with DCB than conventional balloon (CB) (82.2% vs. 59.5% at 6 months, p < 0.001). The advantage persisted at 12 months (63.8% vs. 43.6%, p < 0.001) with a 35.4% reduction in reinterventions required to maintain TLPP (total 93 vs. 144) [30]. Extended follow-up through 36 months further supported durability: event-free TLPP remained higher (43.1% vs. 28.6%, p < 0.001), and access-circuit primary patency was improved (33.2% vs. 21.1%, p < 0.001) in the DCB group [31].
By contrast, the Lutonix AV trial showed a smaller and time-dependent signal. At the prespecified primary analysis, TLPP at 6 months was 71% (DCB) vs. 63% (CB) (p = 0.06), narrowly missing statistical significance. An analysis allowing a 30-day window (9 months) showed TLPP 64% vs. 53% (p = 0.02). In the 2-year follow-up, TLPP differences were modest and time-dependent (12 months: 44% vs. 36%, p = 0.04; 24 months: 27% vs. 24%, p = 0.09), with no mortality difference through 2 years [25,32]. Importantly, even recent RCTs continue to report opposing signals, underscoring persistent controversy. In a contemporary RCT by Zhao et al. [33], 12-month TLPP remained significantly higher with DCB than CB (66.1% [74/112] vs. 46.4% [52/112], p = 0.0037), with higher freedom from reintervention at 12 months (67.5% vs. 48.6%, p = 0.0006) and fewer reinterventions to maintain target lesion patency (48 vs. 94 total; mean, 0.4 vs 0.8 per patient; p = 0.001) [33]. In contrast, the multicenter APERTO trial did not demonstrate a significant improvement in its primary clinical outcome at 1 year: functional hemodialysis access without reintervention at 12 months was achieved in 19.6% (10/51) of DCB group versus 9.6% (5/52) in the CB group (p = 0.612), and the authors concluded that longer adequate circuit function with DCB could not be shown [34].
Within the native AV access circuit, lesion location appears to influence treatment response. In particular, cephalic arch stenosis is a lesion in which restenosis after CB angioplasty is frequent, largely because elastic recoil, marked vessel angulation with turbulent hemodynamics, and potential extrinsic compression often limit durable luminal gain. In this setting, a systematic review and meta-analysis focused on cephalic arch stenosis found no significant difference between DCB and CB angioplasty in primary patency at 6 and 12 months, suggesting that biologic inhibition of NIH alone may not fully overcome the predominant mechanical failure mechanisms [35]. For central venous stenosis, clinical evidence specifically evaluating DCB angioplasty remains sparse. By analogy to cephalic arch stenosis, central venous lesions are frequently driven by elastic recoil, extrinsic compression, and long-segment fibrotic remodeling, mechanisms that can limit durable luminal gain after angioplasty. Therefore, it is plausible that the clinical effect of DCB angioplasty may likewise be attenuated in central venous stenosis.
Key aspects of trial design and major outcomes are presented in Tables 2 and 3 [24-28,31-34,36-47]. As shown in these tables, there is substantial heterogeneity across studies with respect to the DCB platform, procedural technique, and the definitions of clinical and patency endpoints. In particular, differences between TLPP and access-circuit primary patency (ACPP) may contribute to variability in reported outcomes, as improvements in lesion-level patency do not necessarily translate into overall access durability. Taken together, the randomized evidence base in native AVFs more often suggests improved patency with DCB angioplasty; however, recent trials continue to report both positive and neutral findings. This pattern supports the concept that the clinical benefit of DCBs is context-dependent and underscores the need for additional standardized, lesion-specific randomized trials.
Evidence supporting DCB angioplasty in AVGs has historically been limited, as most randomized trials enrolled predominantly AVF patients and included only small numbers of graft lesions. One early single-center randomized trial by Liao et al. evaluated 44 dysfunctional AVGs with venous anastomotic stenosis and reported significantly higher 6-month TLPP in the DCB group compared with CB angioplasty (41% vs. 9%, p = 0.001), as well as higher 6-month ACPP (36% vs. 9%, p = 0.002) [41,42]. However, this benefit was not sustained at 1 year, with 1-year ACPP of 14% vs. 9% (p = 0.273), suggesting that short-term improvement may not translate into durable long-term outcomes in AVGs.
More recently, a prospective multicenter RCT by Goo et al. [46] specifically enrolled patients with dysfunctional AVGs caused by venous anastomotic stenosis and randomized 94 patients to DCB and 92 to CB angioplasty after successful lesion preparation. DCB angioplasty demonstrated significantly higher TLPP at 3 months (91.1% vs. 74.4%, p < 0.001) and 6 months (64.6% vs. 43.2%, p = 0.002), as well as improved ACPP at 6 months (63.4% vs. 42.0%, p = 0.002) and 12 months (29.1% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.022). Mortality at 12 months was similar between groups, although early thrombotic events within 3 months were more frequent in the DCB arm. This finding suggests a potential trade-off between short-term patency benefit and early thrombotic risk. Clinically, close early surveillance may help mitigate its impact, and further studies are needed to clarify the role of peri-procedural management in influencing these events.
Together, these studies suggest that DCB angioplasty may improve short- to mid-term patency in AVG stenosis but the evidence base remains smaller than that for AVFs, and long-term durability and lesion-specific benefit require further investigation.
Vessel preparation
DCBs should be viewed primarily as drug delivery platforms rather than definitive angioplasty tools. Therefore, outcomes often depend on how well the lesion is prepared before DCB use. In AV access, DCBs are compliant or semi-compliant and are not designed for high-pressure dilation. Their nominal inflation pressures are typically around 5 to 8 atmospheres, with burst pressures around 12 to 14 atmospheres for commonly used platforms [23,48]. As a result, resistant venous stenoses that require higher pressures to fully eliminate balloon waist may not respond well to a DCB alone. For this reason, operators should first perform predilation with a high-pressure plain balloon to achieve an acceptable mechanical result. Trials commonly define this as 30% or less residual stenosis and no flow-limiting dissection [24,25]. Adequate predilation is also a simple angiographic test of whether the lesion is treatable with a DCB. For long or tandem lesions, careful measurement and segment-by-segment preparation help ensure full coverage and reduce the risk of geographic miss.
Balloon handling and transit time
Because part of the drug coating can be lost before balloon inflation, keeping balloon transit time short is an important step. Drug loss may occur during device preparation, advancement through the sheath, or navigation across tight or tortuous segments [49,50]. To reduce avoidable coating loss, it is practical to complete all preparatory steps before opening the DCB package and to prepare the DCB only when the operator is ready for immediate deployment. Once introduced, the DCB should be advanced efficiently to the target lesion to minimize transit time, avoiding repeated push and pull maneuvers, unnecessary repositioning, or prolonged dwell time within the sheath [51]. When feasible, selecting an access route that shortens the distance to the lesion and using an adequately sized sheath to reduce friction may further help preserve the coating during delivery. These workflow details are rarely captured in clinical trial endpoints, but they can influence the effective drug dose delivered in real-world practice.
Inflation time
Because DCB angioplasty is intended to achieve local pharmacologic effect, inflation time should be selected to ensure sustained and uniform balloon-wall contact that supports drug deposition and tissue uptake. In contemporary AV access practice, inflation durations commonly fall within 60- to 180-second range per treated segment, with some protocols favoring longer inflations when balloon position is stable and the patient can tolerate prolonged occlusion [52].
Notably, real-world registry data have suggested a time-dependent signal. In the prospective registry, 6-month TLPP was higher with longer inflation, with TLPP increasing across longer inflation time (68% for 50–120 seconds vs. 80% for 120–180 seconds; p = 0.007), implying that longer contact may improve clinical durability [53]. Similar themes have been raised in meta-analyses, although it remains difficult to isolate the independent contribution of inflation time from other tightly linked determinants of success, such as lesion preparation quality, balloon sizing, device platform, and avoidance of geographic miss [22].
Accordingly, when satisfactory vessel preparation has already been achieved and the balloon can be maintained in a stable position, a minimum DCB inflation time of ≥3 minutes (≥180 seconds) seems to be reasonable to maximize the likelihood of effective drug transfer, while acknowledging that the optimal duration is not definitively established and should be refined by future protocolized studies.
Safety Profile of DCBs in Dialysis Access Interventions
The safety of DCB angioplasty in AV access has been evaluated with attention to systemic paclitaxel exposure, downstream embolization, and long-term outcomes. Although DCBs are designed for local drug delivery, a small amount of drug may be lost during device handling, transit, or inflation, resulting in only limited systemic exposure. The total paclitaxel dose used in AV access procedures is far lower than that used in systemic cancer therapy, and current clinical trials in dialysis access have not shown a consistent increase in morbidity and mortality [54].
Concerns about possible late mortality from paclitaxel-coated devices were first raised in peripheral arterial disease studies [55]. However, this signal has not been clearly reproduced in AV access trials, and subsequent individual patient data analyses in femoropopliteal peripheral arterial disease have also not demonstrated a significant increase in mortality associated with paclitaxel-coated devices [56,57]. These findings are generally reassuring; however, they should be interpreted with caution in the dialysis population. Patients with hemodialysis access frequently undergo repeated endovascular interventions, which may result in higher cumulative paclitaxel exposure over time compared with patients treated for peripheral arterial disease. In addition, their distinct comorbidity profile and competing risks may modify both short- and long-term outcomes, underscoring the need for continued surveillance and long-term safety evaluation in this population.
Additional procedural safety considerations include non-target particulate embolization from balloon coatings, especially with excessive device handling or prolonged transit time, and the possibility of vessel injury if DCBs are used without adequate lesion preparation [49,50]. Overall, available evidence suggests that DCB angioplasty has an acceptable safety profile in AV access interventions [9,58,59]. Nevertheless, careful patient selection, standardized technique, and long-term follow-up remain essential to fully define its risk-benefit balance.
Korean Reimbursement Landscape and Real-World Practice Considerations
In Korea, reimbursement for DCB angioplasty in hemodialysis access was introduced in May 2025, but its application remains restricted to narrowly defined clinical scenarios. Under the current national insurance criteria, DCB use is reimbursed for stenotic lesions in native AVFs or AVG when recurrent stenosis is documented within 3 months after prior plain balloon angioplasty at the same lesion. Accordingly, primary DCB use without evidence of early restenosis after conventional angioplasty is not reimbursed, which has an important impact on real-world case selection and treatment strategy. From a practice standpoint, these criteria concentrate DCB use in patients with biologically aggressive restenosis or early failure after PTA, thereby enriching Korean DCB-treated cohorts for higher-risk lesions compared with many Western settings where DCB use may be more readily implemented in routine practice. This reimbursement-driven selection effect should be considered when interpreting domestic outcomes, comparing Korean real-world data with international studies, and designing future studies, as observed effectiveness may be attenuated or appear more variable when the treated population is skewed toward early recurrent stenosis. As Korean experience expands under the current reimbursement system, prospective registries and lesion-specific studies that explicitly account for these policy constraints will be valuable to define the most cost-effective and clinically impactful indications for DCB use in dialysis access maintenance.
Knowledge Gaps and Future Directions
DCBs show promise for maintaining AV access, but evidence remains heterogeneous. A major gap is that outcomes are highly lesion- and technique-dependent; differences in lesion preparation, balloon sizing, inflation strategy, and technical endpoints likely contribute to inconsistent RCT results. Accordingly, future multicenter trials should standardize procedural protocols and stratify by lesion location and access characteristics to clarify where DCBs provide the most benefit.
Another key gap is the unique biology and hemodynamics of AV access such as high flow, repeated cannulation injury, and complex upstream–downstream stresses, which may alter drug transfer and durability compared with arterial applications. Mechanistic studies linking hemodynamics, tissue drug retention, and imaging/pathology are needed. Finally, device variability lacks robust head-to-head data and comparative effectiveness and safety studies including repeated exposure in patients needing frequent reinterventions remain priorities. Overall, progress will depend on combining better lesion selection with standardized technique and evaluating emerging platforms such as sirolimus-based coatings or combination strategies with lesion preparation devices.
Conclusion
DCB angioplasty offers a biologically targeted adjunct to conventional angioplasty for dysfunctional AV access by suppressing the NIH that drives recurrent stenosis. While randomized trials suggest improved patency in selected settings, results remain heterogeneous and appear dependent on lesion characteristics, device design, and procedural technique. Overall, DCBs have an acceptable safety profile and may provide meaningful benefit when used after high-quality vessel preparation with careful attention to delivery factors. Future studies should standardize technique and refine lesion-specific selection to better define where DCBs add the greatest value in AV access maintenance.

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Funding

None.

Acknowledgments

None.

Author contribution

The author conducted all aspects of the study.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Table 1.
Drug-coated balloon used in hemodialysis access trials
Table 1.
Brand name(manufacturer) Paclitaxel dose(μg/mm2) Excipient material Balloon diameter(mm)
In.Pact (Medtronic) 3.5 Urea 4–12
Lutonix (Becton Dickison) 2.0 Polysorbate and sorbitol 4–12
APERTO (Cardionovum) 3.0 Ammonium salt 5–10
Passeo-18 Lux (Biotronik) 3.0 Hydrophobic butyryl-tri-hexyl citrate 2–7
AcoArt Orchid (Acotec) 3.3 Magnesium stearate 4–12
Table 2.
Design characteristics and procedural techniques in randomized trials
Table 2.
Study Publication year No. of patients Access type (AVF or AVG) Lesion type (de novo or recurrent) Vessel preparation DCB type Inflation time(s)
Katsanos et al. [28] 2012 40 Both NR No In.Pact >60
Kitrou et al. [36] 2015 40 AVF Both No In.Pact 90
Irani et al. [37] 2018 119 Both Both Yes In.Pact 60
Trerotola et al. [25,32] 2018 285 AVF Both Yes Lutonix >30
Maleux et al. [38] 2018 64 AVF Both Yes In.Pact NA
Bjorkman et al. [39] 2019 36 AVF Both Yes In.Pact 90
Kim et al. [26] 2020 39 AVF Both Yes In.Pact 120
Karmota [40] 2020 60 AVF NR Yes Lutonix 180
Liao et al. [41] 2020 44 AVG Recurrent No In.Pact 60
Lookstein et al. [24] 2020 330 AVF Both Yes In.Pact >180
Moreno-Sanchez et al. [42] 2020 148 Both Both Yes Passeo-Lux 45
Pang et al. [43] 2021 40 Both Both Yes In.Pact 180
Karunanithy et al. [27] 2021 212 AVF Both Yes Lutonix >60
Yin et al. [44] 2021 161 AVF Both Yes APERTO 120–180
Therasse et al. [45] 2021 120 Both Both Yes Passeo-Lux 60
Goo et al. [46] 2024 190 AVG Both Yes In.Pact 180
Zhao et al. [33] 2024 244 AVF Both Yes AcoArt 120
Maleux et al. [34] 2025 103 Both Both No APERTO 60–120

DCB, drug-coated balloon; NR, not reported; NA, not available.

Table 3.
Clinical outcomes of randomized trials comparing drug-coated balloon and conventional balloon angioplasty
Table 3.
Study Publication year Primary endpoint Outcomes Significant effect Significant AE difference
Katsanos et al. [28] 2012 TLPP at 6 mo 70% (DCB) vs. 25% (CB) p < 0.001 Yes No
Kitrou et al. [36] 2015 TLPP at 12 mo 35% (DCB) vs. 5% (CB), p < 0.001 Yes No
Irani et al. [37] 2018 TLPP at 6 mo 81% (DCB) vs. 61% (CB), p = 0.03 Yes No
Trerotola et al. [25,32] 2018 TLPP at 6, 9, 12, 24 mo 71% (DCB) vs. 63% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.06 †No No
58% (DCB) vs. 46% (CB) at 9 mo, p = 0.02
44% (DCB) vs. 36% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.04
27% (DCB) vs. 24% (CB) at 24 mo, p = 0.09
Maleux et al. [38] 2018 ACPP at 6, 12 mo 68% (DCB) vs. 65% (CB)at 6 mo, p = 0.8 No No
42% (DCB) vs. 39% (CB)at 12 mo, p = 0.95
Bjorkman et al. [39] 2019 TLR at 12 mo 89% (DCB) vs. 22% (CB), p = 0.001 No No
Kim et al. [26] 2020 TLPP at 12 mo 65% (DCB) vs. 58% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.9 No No
Karmota [40] 2020 TLPP at 6, 12 mo 97% (DCB) vs. 90% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.3 †No No
90% (DCB) vs. 67% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.03
Liao et al. [41] 2020 TLPP at 6 mo 41% (DCB) vs. 9% (CB), p = 0.006 Yes No
Lookstein et al. [24,31,47] 2020 TLPP at 6, 12, 24, 36 mo 82% (DCB) vs. 60% (CB) at 6 mo, p < 0.001 Yes No
63.8% (DCB) vs. 43.6% (CB) at 12 mo, p < 0.001
52.1% (DCB) vs. 36.7% (CB) at 24 mo, p < 0.001
43.1% (DCB) vs. 28.6% (CB) at 36 mo, p < 0.001
Moreno-Sanchez et al. [42] 2020 TLPP at 6 and 12 mo 153 days (DCB) vs. 142 days (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.07 No No
266 days (DCB) vs. 238 days (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.37
Pang et al. [43] 2021 TLPP at 12 mo 65% (DCB) vs. 30% (CB), p = 0.007 Yes No
Karunanithy et al. [27] 2021 Time to lose TLPP at 6 mo 159 days (DCB) vs. 215 days (CB), p = 0.44 No No
Yin et al. [44] 2021 TLR-free survival at 6 mo 86% (DCB) vs. 78% (CB), p = 0.3 No No
Therasse et al. [45] 2021 LLL at 6 mo 0.64 mm (DCB) vs. 1.13 mm (CB), p = 0.08 No No
Goo et al. [46] 2024 TLPP at 3, 6 mo 91.1% (DCB) vs. 64.6% (CB) at 3 mo, p = 0.001 Yes Yes (thrombosis)
74.4% (DCB) vs. 43.2% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.001
Zhao et al. [33] 2024 TLPP at 6 mo 91% (DCB) vs. 67% (CB), p < 0.001 Yes No
Maleux et al. [34] 2025 TLPP at 12 mo 19.6% (DCB) vs. 9.6% (CB), p = 0.612 No No

AE, adverse event; TLPP, target lesion primary patency; DCB, drug-coated balloon; CB, conventional balloon; ACPP, access-circuit primary patency; TLR, target lesion revascularization, LLL, late lumen loss.

†No, partially met.

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Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Dysfunctional Hemodialysis Access: An Update
Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Dysfunctional Hemodialysis Access: An Update
Brand name(manufacturer) Paclitaxel dose(μg/mm2) Excipient material Balloon diameter(mm)
In.Pact (Medtronic) 3.5 Urea 4–12
Lutonix (Becton Dickison) 2.0 Polysorbate and sorbitol 4–12
APERTO (Cardionovum) 3.0 Ammonium salt 5–10
Passeo-18 Lux (Biotronik) 3.0 Hydrophobic butyryl-tri-hexyl citrate 2–7
AcoArt Orchid (Acotec) 3.3 Magnesium stearate 4–12
Study Publication year No. of patients Access type (AVF or AVG) Lesion type (de novo or recurrent) Vessel preparation DCB type Inflation time(s)
Katsanos et al. [28] 2012 40 Both NR No In.Pact >60
Kitrou et al. [36] 2015 40 AVF Both No In.Pact 90
Irani et al. [37] 2018 119 Both Both Yes In.Pact 60
Trerotola et al. [25,32] 2018 285 AVF Both Yes Lutonix >30
Maleux et al. [38] 2018 64 AVF Both Yes In.Pact NA
Bjorkman et al. [39] 2019 36 AVF Both Yes In.Pact 90
Kim et al. [26] 2020 39 AVF Both Yes In.Pact 120
Karmota [40] 2020 60 AVF NR Yes Lutonix 180
Liao et al. [41] 2020 44 AVG Recurrent No In.Pact 60
Lookstein et al. [24] 2020 330 AVF Both Yes In.Pact >180
Moreno-Sanchez et al. [42] 2020 148 Both Both Yes Passeo-Lux 45
Pang et al. [43] 2021 40 Both Both Yes In.Pact 180
Karunanithy et al. [27] 2021 212 AVF Both Yes Lutonix >60
Yin et al. [44] 2021 161 AVF Both Yes APERTO 120–180
Therasse et al. [45] 2021 120 Both Both Yes Passeo-Lux 60
Goo et al. [46] 2024 190 AVG Both Yes In.Pact 180
Zhao et al. [33] 2024 244 AVF Both Yes AcoArt 120
Maleux et al. [34] 2025 103 Both Both No APERTO 60–120
Study Publication year Primary endpoint Outcomes Significant effect Significant AE difference
Katsanos et al. [28] 2012 TLPP at 6 mo 70% (DCB) vs. 25% (CB) p < 0.001 Yes No
Kitrou et al. [36] 2015 TLPP at 12 mo 35% (DCB) vs. 5% (CB), p < 0.001 Yes No
Irani et al. [37] 2018 TLPP at 6 mo 81% (DCB) vs. 61% (CB), p = 0.03 Yes No
Trerotola et al. [25,32] 2018 TLPP at 6, 9, 12, 24 mo 71% (DCB) vs. 63% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.06 †No No
58% (DCB) vs. 46% (CB) at 9 mo, p = 0.02
44% (DCB) vs. 36% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.04
27% (DCB) vs. 24% (CB) at 24 mo, p = 0.09
Maleux et al. [38] 2018 ACPP at 6, 12 mo 68% (DCB) vs. 65% (CB)at 6 mo, p = 0.8 No No
42% (DCB) vs. 39% (CB)at 12 mo, p = 0.95
Bjorkman et al. [39] 2019 TLR at 12 mo 89% (DCB) vs. 22% (CB), p = 0.001 No No
Kim et al. [26] 2020 TLPP at 12 mo 65% (DCB) vs. 58% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.9 No No
Karmota [40] 2020 TLPP at 6, 12 mo 97% (DCB) vs. 90% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.3 †No No
90% (DCB) vs. 67% (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.03
Liao et al. [41] 2020 TLPP at 6 mo 41% (DCB) vs. 9% (CB), p = 0.006 Yes No
Lookstein et al. [24,31,47] 2020 TLPP at 6, 12, 24, 36 mo 82% (DCB) vs. 60% (CB) at 6 mo, p < 0.001 Yes No
63.8% (DCB) vs. 43.6% (CB) at 12 mo, p < 0.001
52.1% (DCB) vs. 36.7% (CB) at 24 mo, p < 0.001
43.1% (DCB) vs. 28.6% (CB) at 36 mo, p < 0.001
Moreno-Sanchez et al. [42] 2020 TLPP at 6 and 12 mo 153 days (DCB) vs. 142 days (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.07 No No
266 days (DCB) vs. 238 days (CB) at 12 mo, p = 0.37
Pang et al. [43] 2021 TLPP at 12 mo 65% (DCB) vs. 30% (CB), p = 0.007 Yes No
Karunanithy et al. [27] 2021 Time to lose TLPP at 6 mo 159 days (DCB) vs. 215 days (CB), p = 0.44 No No
Yin et al. [44] 2021 TLR-free survival at 6 mo 86% (DCB) vs. 78% (CB), p = 0.3 No No
Therasse et al. [45] 2021 LLL at 6 mo 0.64 mm (DCB) vs. 1.13 mm (CB), p = 0.08 No No
Goo et al. [46] 2024 TLPP at 3, 6 mo 91.1% (DCB) vs. 64.6% (CB) at 3 mo, p = 0.001 Yes Yes (thrombosis)
74.4% (DCB) vs. 43.2% (CB) at 6 mo, p = 0.001
Zhao et al. [33] 2024 TLPP at 6 mo 91% (DCB) vs. 67% (CB), p < 0.001 Yes No
Maleux et al. [34] 2025 TLPP at 12 mo 19.6% (DCB) vs. 9.6% (CB), p = 0.612 No No
Table 1. Drug-coated balloon used in hemodialysis access trials
Table 2. Design characteristics and procedural techniques in randomized trials

DCB, drug-coated balloon; NR, not reported; NA, not available.

Table 3. Clinical outcomes of randomized trials comparing drug-coated balloon and conventional balloon angioplasty

AE, adverse event; TLPP, target lesion primary patency; DCB, drug-coated balloon; CB, conventional balloon; ACPP, access-circuit primary patency; TLR, target lesion revascularization, LLL, late lumen loss.

No, partially met.

Table 1.

Table 2.

Table 3.

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