Intravascular ultrasound evaluation of iliac stents one year following laser-assisted angioplasty.

With the proliferation of sophisticated endovascular interventions, the need for more definitive assessment of preprocedural and postprocedural pathology and long-term outcome is acute. A new technique, intravascular ultrasound imaging, was used to provide a 1-year evaluation of iliac artery stents in a patient whose renal insufficiency contraindicated protocol-mandated arteriography. The sonogram provided adequate visualization of the functional status of the stents through cross-sectional measurements and the intimal response to the devices. This represents the first use of intravascular ultrasound imaging for long-term evaluation of iliac stents.