[Stents in the femoral artery: aid or problem?]

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is a well-established technique in the treatment of symptomatic femoropopliteal artery stenoses and obstructions. It is a method of treatment with excellent initial technical and clinical results. However, the long-term results of PTA alone must be considered as unsatisfactory as recurrences are frequently observed. In the past, femoropopliteal stenting appeared to be a promising tool to prevent recurrence and to increase patency rates, but it did not produce better results than PTA alone. For this reason, alternative therapeutic strategies such as brachytherapy, drug-eluting pharmastents and gene therapy were developed. Several investigators are beginning to explore their potential use. This article reviews the present possibilities of PTA and stenting in the femoropopliteal region and considers potential future concepts. In this context, the current clinical literature is discussed.