ENDOVASCULAR INFECTION AFTER RENAL-ARTERY STENT PLACEMENT

ENDOVASCULAR infection is an uncommon, but potentially life threatenin g complication of vascular procedures. In vascular surgical operations , infection rates range from 1.3% to 6%, depending on the surgery perf ormed (1). Until recently, infection secondary to percutaneous vascula r intervention was extremely uncommon, with a few reports in the liter ature (2). Sporadic reports arising from peripheral intervention inclu de a case report of septic endarteritis after angioplasty of an iliac artery (3) and a local puncture site infection (4). With the increasin g use of endovascular metallic stents, however, more reports of septic complications are appearing (5-9). To our knowledge, no detailed repo rt of an infection of a renal artery stent has been documented in the literature. In this case study, we describe a patient who developed an endovascular infection several weeks after renal artery stent placeme nt. The patient recovered without sequelae after conservative therapy.