Long-term outcomes and predictors of iliac angioplasty with selective stenting: is primary stenting necessary?

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has become one of the initial treatment options in patients with iliac artery occlusive disease. Stents have been recommended to correct procedural complications and improve long-term patency. Many series advocate routine stent placement after an otherwise uncomplicated PTA (primary stenting) in an attempt to prevent recurrent disease. Currently, many physicians in the United States seem to use stents in the iliac artery more liberally, even on a routine basis. There is little evidence to support this practice, however. It is still unclear whether a stent should be inserted primarily or selectively. This article provides the data from an 11-year experience of angioplasty with selective stenting for iliac artery occlusive lesions and reviews the current literatures on the iliac artery stent placement.