Percutaneous Coronary Intervention via Distal Transradial Approach: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges

As a new approach for percutaneous coronary intervention, distal transradial approach (dTRA) is increasingly applied in clinical practice. Thus dTRA is superior to transradial artery approach in improving patient and surgeon comfort, reducing the incidence of complications and forearm arterial injuries, while it also has many limitations, such as lower success rate, longer learning cycle, higher level of puncture site pain, and relatively higher incidence of radial artery spasm. And dTRA has also been used as an approach for acute coronary syndrome and complex percutaneous coronary intervention. But it still needs further verification whether dTRA is suitable for mass promotion and application. This paper reviews and analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of dTRA, in order to provide a theoretical basis for scientific and rational application of dTRA in percutaneous coronary intervention.