Treatment of iliac artery stenoses with the Wallstent endoprosthesis

Sixteen symptomatic iliac artery stenoses and three occlusions in 16 patients were treated by the percutaneous implantation of Wallstent endoprostheses (Medinvent SA, Lausanne, Switzerland). The endoprosthesis consists of stainless steel monofilaments braided into a self-expanding cylinder. The indications for placement were restenosis after angioplasty (10 cases), failed arterial dilations (eight cases), and restenosis after endarterectomy (one case). The prostheses used had a mean diameter of 8 mm (range, 6-10 mm) and were placed in the external iliac (14 cases) and common iliac (five cases) arteries. The 16 stenoses were greater than 80%, and the three occlusions were longer than 7 cm. Mean length of the lesions treated was 7 cm (range, 4-14 cm). Three of the arteries thrombosed after treatment, one 2 days later and two in the month after implantation of the stent. On clinical and angiographic follow-up (mean, 16 months; range, 1-24 months) no symptoms or stenoses reappeared in the remaining 16 cases. Our experience in these cases suggests that implantation of a Wallstent endovascular prosthesis is a valuable technique for the treatment of external and common iliac artery stenoses.