title: Mid-term outcome after endovascular therapy in the superficial femoral and popliteal artery using long stents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affecting the femoropopliteal artery is treated by endovascular interventions [2, 5, 13] increasingly. Aim of the study was to evaluate mid-term efficacy and patency of long stents in the superficial femoral and popliteal artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between September 2006 and September 2007 103 patients received 128 stents for endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal vascular stenosis or occlusion. Clinical and hemodynamic parameters were collected. Risk factors, popliteal involvement and TASC classification, were documented and evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immediate outcome was satisfactory with a technical success rate of 100 %. After a mean follow-up period of 21 months, primary patency was 83.6 %. Potential risk factor analysis for restenosis and fracture demonstrated hypertension to have borderline significance (P = 0.06). In normotensive patients no restenosis occurred. Further pre-conditions, e.g. smoking, metabolic syndrome, age, gender and previous intervention did not show any influence on restenosis or stent fracture. TASC C and D lesion had similar patency rates compared to TASC A and B lesions. Most of the restenoses (13 out of 16) were observed within the first six months of follow-up. Six stent fracture were observed (4.7 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long stents had convincing results after endovascular treatment of the femoropopliteal PAD. The used stent was an efficacious endovascular tool for long athersclerotic lesions in the superficial femoral and popliteal artery. Fracture rate was low with an incidence of 4.7 %. Most restenoses occurred within the first six months so that careful follow-up would be necessary.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Muenster, Germany. Eva.Schoenefeld@ukmuenster.de
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schoenefeld
authors.forename: Konstantinos P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Donas
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schönefeld
authors.forename: Nani
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Austermann
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torsello
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency