Purpose: To evaluate the clinical results and short and mid-term stent patency in patients with femoropopliteal stent placement.
Material and methods: Forty-one patients (42 limbs) underwent stent placement--27x into superficial femoral artery, 15x into popliteal artery. There were inserted 44 self-expandable stents. In 3 cases PTA of stents and in 2 cases local endovascular brachytherapy were performed because of restenosis. The mean follow-up is 12.9 months (1-24 months).
Results: Stents were successfully inserted in all cases. Clinical improvement at the time of latest follow-up occurred in 77% of patients, no improvement in 13% and clinical worsement in 10% of patients. Primary patency rates at 6 months, 12 an 24 months were 83.8%, 67.7% and 67.7%, respectively. Primary assisted patency were 90.3% at 6 months, 77.4% at 12 months and 77.4% at 24 months.
Conclusion: Stents implantation in femoropopliteal arteries is a method of choice after suboptimal angioplasty results in patients with critical limb ischemia for whom no reasonable surgical alternative exists.