Perivascular inflammatory reaction after percutaneous placement of covered stents

A 52-year-old woman with an extensive superficial femoral artery occlusion was treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Because of extensive dissections, two covered stents were placed percutaneously. The intervention was successful with respect to vessel patency, but local pain and fever developed 5 hr after the intervention. Swelling of the thigh occurred, but deep venous thrombosis was excluded. MRI revealed pronounced soft-tissue edema in the adductor canal that persisted for 4 weeks. The fever responded to antiinflammatory medication, but the pain remained for 4 weeks. The vessel was patent at the last follow-up, 8 weeks after graft placement. Soft-tissue edema after percutaneous placement of covered stents has been reported previously. The cause of the inflammatory reaction is unclear.