Stenting for localised arterial stenoses in the aorto-iliac segment

Objective: to determine complication sand patency following angioplasty (PT A) and stenting of aorto-iliac stenosis. Setting: District General Hospital in U.K. Design: prospective observational study. Patients and methods: between December 1994 and June 2000, 50 patients (38 men), median age 64 (41-89) years underwent aorto-iliac stenting. A total o f 61 stents were placed. Indications were intermittent claudication in 38 a nd rest pain, ulceration or gangrene in 12. Sites stented were aorta 11, co mmon iliac artery 32, external iliac artery 14, common and external iliac a rteries two. Bilateral iliac procedures were carried out in nine. Two stent s were used to correct residual stenoses after aortic stenting. Some 11 rec urrent stenoses were treated. The other reasons for stenting were residual stenoses greater than 30% after PTA, tight calcified stenoses or when a ste nosed iliac artery was being used as a donor prior to crossover or femoropo pliteal bypass. Results: two immediate technical failures occurred due to malposition. Resi dual stenoses were corrected by PTA. Two further patients sustained minor c omplications. None of the aortic stents occluded through two required secon dary procedures. Primary-assisted patency was thus 100% at three years. Pri mary patency following iliac stenting for claudication and critical ischaem ia were 97% and 86% at three years respectively. Conclusion: PTA and stenting of aorto-iliac stenoses can be safely achieved with durable results.