Vascular ultrasound surveillance after endovascular intervention for occlusive iliac artery disease

This paper describes vascular ultrasound surveillance after endovascular in tervention for occlusive iliac artery disease. There were 105 patients who had 198 procedures in 155 limbs, consisting of 110 balloon dilatations and 88 stentings. The patients were referred to the vascular diagnostic service by several surgeons. All procedures had been considered to be initially te chnically successful. Colour-Doppler duplex ultrasound studies were perform ed shortly before and at serial intervals after operation to determine pate ncy rates. Univariate life table analysis showed 69% primary and 96% assist ed primary patency at four years. Primary patency rates at four years were significantly worse for stentings (60%) compared to balloon dilatations (71 %) (P < 0.05). Maximum peak systolic velocities (PSV) were recorded from t he treated arteries. Receiver operating characteristics curves showed that PSV > 300 cm/s was most accurate for predicting technical failure. Haemodyn amic success rates at four years were 72% for PSV > 300 cm/s. Results for p rocedures that were initially successful indicate that long-term primary pa tency rates for iliac endovascular intervention are acceptable and that ass isted primary patency rates are excellent. (C) 2001 The International Socie ty for Cardiovascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reser.ved