SAIMSARA Journal

Machine Generated Science • ISSN 3054-3991

DCB vs POBA: Scoping Review with ☸️SAIMSARA.

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Vascular Health

Issue 1, Volume 1, 2026

Editorial note
• Last update: 2026-03-25 10:57:59
What is this paper about
This paper shows that DCB is not just a technical upgrade over POBA, but a consistently stronger strategy for restenosis-prone vascular disease, with better patency and fewer repeat interventions across coronary ISR, femoropopliteal lesions, BTK disease, and dialysis access. The full paper is worth reading because it reveals where that advantage is most convincing, where technique and vessel preparation change the outcome, and how much of DCB’s real-world value lies in selecting the right lesion, not just the device.


DOI: 10.62487/saimsaracd54f4eb

Abstract: This paper aims to systematically compare the clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of drug-coated balloon angioplasty versus plain old balloon angioplasty for the treatment of various vascular stenoses, synthesizing findings from human and animal studies. The review utilises 50 original studies with 133077 total participants (topic deduplicated ΣN). Across the mapped evidence, DCB angioplasty shows a consistent signal of improved patency-related outcomes and reduced reintervention compared with POBA across coronary ISR, femoropopliteal disease, infrapopliteal/BTK interventions, and dialysis access stenosis, aligning with a mechanistic theme of attenuated neointimal hyperplasia after local antiproliferative drug delivery. The evidence base also highlights that procedural context—particularly vessel preparation and lesion characteristics—may modify observed benefit, supporting a role for optimized preparation strategies when deploying DCBs. Interpretation is tempered by the scoping design and the absence of formal risk-of-bias assessment, which limits certainty about the magnitude and consistency of effects across heterogeneous settings. Practically, the mapped literature supports considering DCB as a preferred option in several high-restenosis contexts (notably coronary ISR, femoropopliteal disease, and dialysis access dysfunction) while emphasizing careful technique and patient/lesion selection. Future work should prioritize well-stratified, head-to-head trials and standardized outcome reporting to clarify where DCB offers the greatest incremental value over POBA.

Keywords: Drug-coated balloon; Plain old balloon angioplasty; Coronary artery disease; Peripheral artery disease; In-stent restenosis; Vascular access stenosis; Restenosis; Primary patency; Target lesion revascularization; Angioplasty

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