[Percutaneous treatment of popliteal aneurysms using a covered stent: preliminary clinical experience]

This report describes preliminary results with stented grafts (Cragg EndoPro) for treatment of popliteal aneurysms in 3 consecutive patients (3 men, average age 68 years, varying from 44 to 81 years old). One to 4 transluminally placed stented grafts (50 to 100 mm of length and 8 to 10 mm in diameter) were used to treat 3 popliteal aneurysms. The procedures were successful in all cases, under local anesthesia, without hameodynamic compromise or major complications. Angiography and color Doppler demonstrated patency and aneurysm exclusion, up to 9 months with these stented grafts in all cases except for one case occluded 15 days after stent insertion. Although technical success and short-term patency have been good with this technique, long-term patency is not yet known. The use of these stented grafts already appears justified in critically ill patients, but durability must be established in relation to traditional bypass surgery before it can be recommended on a wider scale.