Supera Stent for Management of Occlusive Popliteal Artery Disease: an Indian Experience

Popliteal artery occlusion is common in elderly, smokers, and patients with diabetes, with globally rising incidence. Angioplasty and stenting are common treatment options available to manage lower limb occlusive diseases. As popliteal artery experiences high biomechanical stress, Supera stent is designed to reduce the risk of stent fractures and for better patency across the knee joint. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Supera stent in the management of popliteal artery occlusive disease. The objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the efficacy of Supera stent in the management of popliteal artery occlusive disease and (2) to prove it as a relatively safe to use option. Patients who underwent stent implantation in popliteal artery were analyzed with regular/serial follow-up. Critical limb ischemia and intermittent claudication patients were included. Medical records, radiographs, and procedural data were examined. The patients were classified according to Trans-Atlantic Inter Society Consensus II criteria. The femoropopliteal lesions which were classified into TASC B and C categories were included in the study. Stents of 5 mm and 5.5 mm diameter and with various lengths were used to treat all the patients. A total number of patients with tissue loss and rest pain analyzed were eighty-six and all of them were treated by implanting stents in popliteal artery. In 71.4% of cases, the lesions were found in the proximal segment of the artery. In nearly 95% of cases, technical success was achieved with the use of single stent. The primary and assisted primary patency rates at 24 months were found to be 86.04% and 95.34%, respectively. Notwithstanding the stent placement at a region of high biomechanical stress, there was no case of stent fracture. The limb salvage rate was 100%. The patients who died due to unrelated causes within 90 days of procedure were two. The present study demonstrated that Supera stent is a safe and effective procedure for treating claudication and limb ischemia due to popliteal artery disease.