Angioplasty or primary stenting for infrapopliteal lesions: results of a prospective randomized trial

Excellent results with small stents in coronary arteries have led endovascular therapists to their use in infrapopliteal vessels. However, to date no level I evidence exists to recommend primary stenting over infrapopliteal angioplasty alone. The aim of this randomized single-center trial was to compare their 1-year outcome. A total of 38 limbs in 35 patients with critical limb ischemia were randomized to angioplasty (22 pts) or primary stenting (16 pts). Target lesions were infrapopliteal occluded (36) or stenotic (20) lesions ranging from <2 to >15 cm in length. The mean age was 72 years. At 12 months, there was no statistical difference in survival (angioplasty, 69.3%; primary stenting, 74.7%), in limb salvage (angioplasty, 90%; primary stenting, 91.7%), or in primary and secondary patency (angioplasty, 66 and 79.5%; primary stenting, 56 and 64%) between the groups Renal insufficiency was the only significant negative predicting factor for limb salvage in both groups. In conclusion, the 1-year results for both groups were broadly similar. Stenting has its place in infrapopliteal angioplasty if the procedure is jeopardized by a dissection or recoil, but our results do not support primary stenting in all cases.