Late thromboembolic complication from a Palmaz stent in the common iliac artery

A 56-year-old smoker presented with rest pain in his left leg and hyperfibrinogenemia. He was found to have a high-grade stenosing thrombus in a Palmaz stent which had been placed 4 years ago across a stenosing ulcerating plaque in the left common iliac artery. Systemic thrombolysis was successful but the patient refused long-term anticoagulation. He presented 2 months later with recurrent stent thrombosis and an embolus to the tibioperoneal trunk. Systemic lysis was successfully performed for the stent reobstruction but the distal embolic occlusion responded neither to systemic nor to local thrombolysis. This case suggests that patients with vascular stents and hyperfibrinogenemia and/or nicotine abuse should be considered candidates for long-term anticoagulation.