Chocolate Balloon vs Standard Balloon Angioplasty Before Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment for Femoropopliteal Artery Narrowing or Blockage (CHOICE)

March 11, 2026 updated by: Felice Pecoraro

Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Chocolate Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty Balloon Versus Plain Old Balloon Angioplasty for Vessel Preparation Prior to Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment in Patients With Femoropopliteal Stenotic or Occlusive Lesions.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if using the Chocolate Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) balloon for vessel preparation improves outcomes before drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment in patients with femoropopliteal artery narrowing or blockage. It will also learn about the safety of the Chocolate PTA balloon. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does using the Chocolate PTA balloon reduce the need for bailout stenting or vessel complications during DCB treatment?

What medical problems do participants have when receiving the Chocolate PTA balloon compared with standard balloon angioplasty?

Researchers will compare the Chocolate PTA balloon to standard plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) to see if it improves vessel preparation before DCB therapy.

Participants will:

Undergo lesion preparation with either the Chocolate PTA balloon or standard balloon angioplasty, followed by DCB treatment

Have clinical and imaging follow-up visits to assess safety and vessel patency

Report any complications or adverse events throughout the study

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
242

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Indication for endovascular revascularization of the femoropopliteal artery
  • Rutherford Category 3, 4, or 5
  • De novo femoropopliteal lesion
  • Stenosis ≥ 70% or chronic total occlusion (CTO)
  • Any degree of calcification
  • Any lesion length
  • At least one patent infrapopliteal vessel to the foot
  • Expected life expectancy > 12 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 18 years
  • No indication for endovascular revascularization of the femoropopliteal artery
  • Rutherford Category 0, 1, 2, or 6
  • Restenotic lesion
  • Absence of at least one patent infrapopliteal vessel to the foot
  • Inability to complete the planned follow-up
  • Life expectancy < 12 months
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Chocolate PTA Balloon
Participants undergo lesion preparation with the Chocolate Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) balloon before receiving drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Procedural outcomes, vessel patency, and safety will be assessed following standard practice.
Device: Chocolate PTA Balloon
Participants undergo lesion preparation with the Chocolate Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) balloon prior to drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Procedural outcomes, vessel patency, and safety will be assessed according to standard practice.
Active Comparator: Standard Balloon Angioplasty (POBA)
Participants undergo lesion preparation with standard plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) before receiving drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Procedural outcomes, vessel patency, and safety will be assessed following standard practice.
Device: Standard Balloon Angioplasty (POBA)
Participants undergo lesion preparation with standard plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) prior to drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Procedural outcomes, vessel patency, and safety will be assessed according to standard practice.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Primary Patency at 12 Months
Time Frame: 12 months from index procedure
Proportion of target femoropopliteal lesions maintaining primary patency without stent placement. Primary patency is defined as PSVR ≤ 2.4 on duplex ultrasound at 12 months.
12 months from index procedure
Freedom From Clinically-Driven Target Lesion Revascularization (CD-TLR) at 12 Months
Time Frame: 12 months from index procedure
Proportion of patients who do not require re-intervention on the target lesion within 12 months after the index procedure.
12 months from index procedure
Assisted Primary Patency at 12 Months
Time Frame: 12 months from index procedure
Proportion of lesions that remain patent without requiring bailout stenting within 12 months after the index procedure.
12 months from index procedure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-Angioplasty Dissections (PADS)
Time Frame: Perioperative/Periprocedural
Incidence and severity (all grades and severe types C-F) of dissections following balloon angioplasty.
Perioperative/Periprocedural
Bailout Stenting Rate
Time Frame: Perioperative/Periprocedural
Proportion of lesions requiring rescue stent placement after balloon angioplasty.
Perioperative/Periprocedural
Device Success / Failure of Chocolate Balloon
Time Frame: During procedure
Incidence of balloon failure or damage during lesion preparation with the Chocolate PTA balloon.
During procedure
Clinical Improvement (Rutherford Category)
Time Frame: 1, 6, and 12 months follow-up
Change in Rutherford category to evaluate clinical improvement in limb ischemia symptoms.
1, 6, and 12 months follow-up
Major Adverse Events (MAE) and Safety
Time Frame: 12 months from index procedure
Incidence of any major adverse events, including death, amputation, or re-intervention, recorded throughout follow-up.
12 months from index procedure
Final Evaluation at 12 Months
Time Frame: 12 months from index procedure
Overall assessment of procedural outcomes, vessel patency, safety, and clinical improvement at the end of the follow-up period.
12 months from index procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Felice Pecoraro

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • POBA_CHOC_RND

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) collected in this study will not be made available to other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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