Percutaneous iliac artery stent: angiographic long-term follow-up

The authors conducted a prospective study of 49 consecutive patients with 53 lesions in 52 iliac arteries. All were treated between October 1987 and April 1990 with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and insertion of either a self-expandable or balloon-expandable stent. Lesions included total occlusion (28%), dissection (42%), post-PTA restenosis (21%), and unsatisfactory PTA (9%). Complications included one aortic protrusion, one acute thrombosis of the stent (resolved with urokinase), and three distal embolizations (5.7%) (resolved with urokinase and aspiration). During 15 months of follow-up, two patients died (one after occlusion). Three other occlusions occurred; one of these was resolved with local thrombolysis. Hyperplasia occurred in seven cases (13.5%), and stenosis occurred at the end of the stent because of incomplete covering of the lesion in three (5.8%); a complementary procedure was performed in six of these cases. Primary patency was 85.3% at 12 months and 80.9% at 18 months; secondary patency rate was 96.1% at 12 and at 18 months. At the end of the study, excluding data for the two patients who died, 27 limbs (54%) were asymptomatic and improvement was achieved in 19 (38%); the clinical success rate was 92%. No amputations were required.