title: Endovascular treatment of peripheral vascular lesions with stent-grafts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate our results of stent-graft implantation for the endovascular treatment of peripheral vascular lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients underwent repair of iatrogenic, traumatic, or spontaneous vascular lesions by means of endovascular stent-grafts. The study cases consisted of 10 cardiac catheterization-induced femoral arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) located between the deep femoral artery and the femoral vein, one iatrogenic AVF between the common iliac artery and vein, one penetrating trauma-induced AVF between the superficial femoral artery and vein, two penetrating trauma-induced pseudoaneurysms in the axillary and popliteal arteries, and three spontaneous or atherosclerosis- related iliac artery aneurysms. Balloon-expandable or self-expandable stent-grafts were used in all 17 cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the stent-grafts were deployed successfully. In catheterization-induced femoral AVFs, complete closure of the fistulas was immediately accomplished in 9 of the 10 cases. Blood flow within the pseudoaneurysms of the axillary artery and the popliteal artery, and aneurysms of the iliac arteries were stopped. Partial closure was achieved in two patients with traumatic iliac and femoral AVFs. For the patients who reported subsided complaints, mean follow-up for 24 months with clinical examination and color Doppler ultrasound revealed patency of the stented segments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that endovascular treatment of various types of peripheral vascular lesions with stent-grafts is a low-risk procedure, which appears to be less invasive than surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gazi University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. baranonal@gazi.edu.tr
authors.forename: Baran
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Onal
authors.forename: Erhan T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Ilgit
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koşar
authors.forename: Koray
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akkan
authors.forename: Terman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gümüş
authors.forename: Sergin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akpek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome