title: Kissing stents for treatment of complex aortoiliac disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to determine medium term technical and clinical success of kissing stents for aortoiliac occlusive disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  twenty-five patients presenting with intermittent claudication (IC) or critical limb ischaemia (CLI) due to aortoiliac disease (41 complex stenoses, 8 occlusions).
  
  
  METHODS
  balloon- or self-expanding kissing stents, with or without predilatation depending upon the nature of the disease, were inserted via bilateral retrograde femoral artery punctures. Clinical examination, ABPI, exercise testing and duplex ultrasound were performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and then annually.
  
  
  RESULTS
  technical success was achieved in 86% segments. All patients with CLI improved and 6 of 7 ulcerated limbs showed complete healing. During follow-up, 7 patients died and two patients required major amputation at 7 and 8 months. The primary assisted patency rate was 94, 91 and 65% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  despite acceptable short-term technical and clinical success, as the medium term patency rates are clearly inferior to those of bypass surgery, the kissing stent technique should be reserved for high risk patients with a limited life expectancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital, Leopold Franzens University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greiner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klein-Weigel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Neuhauser
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perkmann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Waldenberger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jaschke
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fraedrich
mesh_terms: D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome