Reduced complications and patient satisfaction among key benefits of radial access

Transradial access, whereby the vasculature is navigated to via the radial artery in the wrist, has been a topic of much debate in the neurovascular space over the past few years. Despite demonstrating promising advantages and being advocated for by many leading physicians, it is still employed far less widely than more traditional transfemoral access approaches for neurointerventional procedures.

Here, Riitta Rautio (Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland) outlines her experiences with radial access to date—drawing on a recent publication detailing her team’s first 100 neurointerventional procedures using this technique in the European Journal of Radiology (EJR)—and contemplates what the future may hold regarding radial versus femoral access strategies.