title: Percutaneous laser-assisted recanalization of long chronic iliac artery occlusions: primary and mid-term results.
abstract: We report the primary and mid-term outcome of patients with long chronic iliac artery occlusions after percutaneous excimer-laser-assisted interventional recanalization. Between 2000 and 2001, 43 patients with 46 chronic occlusions of either the common iliac artery (n=27), the external iliac artery ( n=13) or both (n=3) underwent laser-assisted percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and implantation of stents. The average length of the occlusion was 57.1+/-26 mm. After laser-assisted angioplasty and implantation of a total of 60 stents, the patients were followed up for up to 4 years. Patency rates were analyzed by ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement and duplex ultrasound. The primary technical success rate was 95.3%, with a major complication rate of 6.9%. Clinical improvement as categorized by the Rutherford guidelines could be observed in 97.6% of cases. The ABI of all patients improved from an average of 0.46+/-0.08 before intervention to 0.97+/-0.13 at the end of the follow-up period. The overall primary patency rate was 86.1%. Four reinterventions were successful (secondary patency rate 95.4%). The mid-term results of the percutaneous recanalization of iliac artery occlusions with primary and secondary patency rates of 86.1 and 95.4% are similar to those of the treatment of short stenoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Clinic, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt/Main, Germany. j.o.balzer@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Jörn O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Balzer
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gastinger
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thalhammer
authors.forename: Ralf G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: Edelgard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindhoff-Last
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmitz-Rixen
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Vogl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000792:Angiography; D016342:Angioplasty, Laser; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D015607:Stents; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology