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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Applications and challenges of paclitaxel- coated balloons beyond coronary atherosclerotic heart disease
Yun Wang, De-Kui Gao, Yin Tian, Li-Qiong She, Wen-Lan Fu, Gang Luo, Yun-Long Zhou, A-Xiu Huang
Yun Wang, Wen-Lan Fu, Yun-Long Zhou, Department of Oncology, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
De-Kui Gao, Department of Cardiology, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
Yin Tian, Department of Interventional Medicine, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
Li-Qiong She, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
Gang Luo, Department of Pharmacy, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
A-Xiu Huang, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Yun Wang and Yin Tian.
Author contributions: Gao DK directed the research, set the review's core theme, guided literature search, monitored writing, handled reviewers' feedback, and coordinated revisions, providing overall leadership; Wang Y managed comprehensive literature work, analyzed and integrated sources, structured the review, wrote the first draft, and finalized it through multiple revisions; Tian Y aided in literature search, focused on in - depth readings in specific fields, offered revision suggestions, and co - reviewed professional content with Gao DK for accuracy; She LQ and Fu WL facilitated manuscript discussions and coordinated among authors; Luo G specialized in molecular biological mechanisms, proofread the manuscript, and refined the language for better readability; Zhou YL helped with data collection, organization, and reference formatting; Huang AX ensured the manuscript conformed to the target journal's format requirements; All authors reviewed and approved the final version.
Supported by Mianyang Health Commission 2019 Scientific Research Encouragement Project, No. 201948.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: De-Kui Gao, Department of Cardiology, Jiangyou Second People's Hospital, No. 31 Juhui Road, Jiangyou 621701, Sichuan Province, China.
635651229@qq.com
Received: April 30, 2025
Revised: May 28, 2025
Accepted: September 4, 2025
Published online: November 6, 2025
Processing time: 185 Days and 16.1 Hours
Although drug-coated balloons (DCBs) were initially used for treating peripheral vascular diseases, with the growing popularity of the implant-free concept, they have gained increasing attention as a novel therapeutic strategy for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. The clinical application scope of DCBs, represented by paclitaxel-coated balloons (PCBs), is constantly expanding. Their application fields are no longer limited to lesions of coronary artery and peripheral vascular diseases, and relevant research is also being actively advanced. In the field of arterial diseases, the application of PCBs has significantly extended. They are used in lower extremity arteries and hemodialysis access and play a role in renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia, and carotid/vertebrobasilar/intracranial arteries. PCBs also show unique value in the treatment of Takayasu arteritis, Kawasaki disease, coronary myocardial bridge, and pulmonary artery diseases. In the venous system, PCBs also have therapeutic potential, with research and clinical investigations now extending to lower extremity, central, and pulmonary vein diseases, and innovative solutions for graft stenosis. The application of PCBs is no longer confined to vascular diseases. They are gradually breaking through traditional boundaries in treating luminal disorders such as urethral, biliary, and esophageal strictures. This mini-review synthesizes existing clinical evidence and basic research findings to concisely analyze the mechanisms of action and biological effects of PCBs in noncoronary applications. A comprehensive analysis of current studies provides a reference for subsequent research and clinical practice in this field and explicitly identifies the challenges faced by current research, explores future directions, and facilitates the in-depth extension of DCB applications.
Core Tip: This review describes the applications of paclitaxel-coated balloons beyond coronary atherosclerotic diseases, including the practical experience and research achievements of drug-coated balloons in arterial diseases such as peripheral arteries, renal arteries, and intracranial arteries, as well as venous and vascular access, arterial inflammatory diseases, and non-vascular diseases. It also explores the molecular biological mechanisms of paclitaxel drug balloons under different anatomical characteristics, providing references for further clinical applications and research.
