"Novel Ideas for the Treatment of No- Option Critical Limb Ischemia"

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the advanced stage of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). This stage can be considered as a step prior to impending gangrene and amputation. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the use of stem cells and gene therapy, either alone or in combination in cases of no-option CLI, can provide therapeutic benefits in terms of relieving the rest-pain and healing the ischaemic ulcers. It seems, that although such combinations of treatment are safe, a grey area still exists to whether they are effective in reducing the risk of amputation and improving the quality of life to a reasonable degree. More studies are necessary.