Primary stenting in infrarenal aortic occlusive disease

Purpose: To evaluate the results of primary stenting in aortic occlusive disease.Methods: Thirty patients underwent primary stenting of focal concentric (n=2) and complex aortic stenoses (n=19), and aortic or aorto-iliac occlusions (n=9). Sixteen patients underwent endovascular outflow procedures, three of whom also had distal open surgical reconstructions. Median follow-up was 16 months (range 1-60 months).Results: Guidewire crossing of two aorto-biiliac occlusions failed, resulting in a 93% (28/30) technical success. Major complications included one access hematoma, one myocardial infarction, one death (recurrent thromboembolism) in a patient with widespread malignancy, and one fatal hemorrhage during thrombolysis of distal emboli from a recana-lized occluded iliac artery. One patient did not improve his symptoms, resulting in a 1-month clinical success of 83% (25/30). Following restenting the 26 stented survivors changed their clinical limb status to +3 (n=17) and +2 (n=9). During follow-up one symptomatic aortic restenosis occurred and was successfully restented.Conclusions: Primary stenting of complex aortic stenoses and short occlusions is an attractive alternative to conventional surgery. Larger studies with longer follow-up and stratification of lesion morphology are warranted to define its role relative to balloon angioplasty. Stenting of aorto-biiliac occlusions is feasible but its role relative to bypass grafting remains to be defined.