Endovascular therapy of iliac arteries: routine application of intraluminal stents does not improve clinical patency.

Our objective in this study was to review our experience with endovascular therapy of iliac artery occlusive disease over the past decade, and to compare the results of angioplasty alone with the addition of endovascular stents to these procedures. This report details a retrospective analysis of clinical data on 141 consecutive patients with iliac artery occlusive disease, treated by balloon angioplasty alone, or with the addition of intraluminal stents. The procedures analyzed included 58 common iliac artery interventions (26 angioplasties and 32 stent insertions) and 83 external iliac artery procedures (43 angioplasties and 40 stent insertions). Early and continued success, and their components, are reported and compared according to published standards. While endovascular therapy of iliac artery occlusive disease is effective in relieving symptoms, clinical patency rates are lower than those reported for direct reconstruction. Primary stent placement has not enhanced clinical patency in the iliac arteries, and the selective insertion of these devices for more complicated angioplasty procedures seems warranted.