Radial versus femoral approach for percutaneous coronary diagnostic and interventional procedures: Systematic overview and meta-analysis of randomized trials

The radial approach for coronary procedures appears as a safe alternative to femoral access.Moreover, radial access virtually eliminates local vascular complications, thanks to atime-sparing hemostasis technique. However, gaining radial access requires higher technicalskills, thus yielding an overall lower success rate. Nonetheless, a clear ongoing trend towardequalization of the two procedures, in terms of procedural success, is evident through theyears, probably due to technologic progress of materials and increased operatorexperience. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44:349 –56) © 2004 by the American College ofCardiology Foundation