TREATMENT OF PERIPHERAL VASCULAR-DISEASE WITH STENT-GRAFTS

EXPANDABLE metallic stents are now commonly used to treat peripheral v ascular disease. Endoluminal stents have demonstrated utility in preve nting recoil after angioplasty and in reducing restenosis in certain v ascular beds. Just as stent placement represented an evolutionary step up from the interventional technology of balloon angioplasty, stent-g rafts now are bridging the fields of vascular surgery and intervention al radiology. The use of metallic expandable stents to anchor traditio nal surgical bypass grafts in an endoluminal location has created an o pportunity to treat both vascular occlusive disease and aneurysmal dis ease in a less invasive, interventional fashion. This article outlines the progress made in the development and implementation of endovascul ar stent-grafts for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease.