title: Primary stent placement for chronic iliac artery occlusions: follow-up results in 103 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report results of primary stent placement for treatment of chronic iliac artery occlusions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors placed 154 primary stents in 103 patients with iliac artery occlusions of at least 3 months duration. Mean length of the occluded segments was 5.1 cm. All patients had symptoms, with claudication or trophic changes. Mean ankle-arm index at rest was 0.48. Follow-up included angiography, Doppler ultrasound, and clinical examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-nine patients demonstrated clinical improvement, with relief or improvement of claudication. Complications that required percutaneous or surgical intervention occurred in six patients; minor complications occurred in another six. Embolization occurred in five patients. Primary patency was 87% after 1 year, 83% after 2 years, and 78% after 4 years; secondary patency was 94%, 90%, and 88% at 1 year, 2 years, and 4 years, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary stent placement should be the treatment of choice in unilateral chronic iliac artery occlusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Technical University of Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vorwerk
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Guenther
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schürmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency