Catheters for transradial coronary procedures: Pros and cons

Transradial access for coronary diagnostic and interventional procedures is a mainstay in current and future invasive cardiology, given the superior safety of this site in comparison to femoral access. However, catheter choice, manipulation and overall performance may differ strikingly when using transradial or transfemoral access. Thus, several diagnostic and guiding catheters, including sheathless guiding catheters, have been proposed to increase the efficacy of transradial access. The ultimate goal is to enable the performance of complex coronary interventions requiring large inner lumens, as well as minimizing radial trauma by employing the smallest catheters possible (e.g. 4 French). The present review provides a concise synthesis on currently available diagnostic and guiding catheters for transradial access. In particular, we explicitly state pros and cons of Judkins (e.g. Judkins Right 4 and Judkins Left 3.5), Amplatz Left 2, Sones, Tiger and Kimny catheters, among others, building upon extensive experience and thorough knowledge of the available evidence base. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.