Endovascular intervention of aortoiliac occlusive disease in high-risk patients using the kissing stents technique: long-term results.

Endovascular intervention deploying a kissing stents (KS) technique has been used as an alternative to surgical intervention in treating symptomatic aortoiliac occlusive disease. However, the long-term results on high-risk patients are unknown. We retrospectively analyzed data on high-risk patients who underwent endovascular intervention using the KS technique at our institution. Fifty high-risk patients aged 62 +/- 6.4 years with severe aortoiliac stenosis underwent stent-supported angioplasty using the KS technique. Thirty percent of the patients had total occlusion of the distal aorta and/or the iliac arteries. Twelve patients received thrombolytics prior to stenting. The procedure was successful in all 50 patients. There was a 4% acute complication rate (distal embolization). However, there were no vascular complications, myocardial infarction, or perioperative death. Primary patency during follow-up of 20 +/- 12.3 months was 92%, while secondary patency rate was 100%. Amputation-free survival was 100%. Ninety-two percent remained free of lifestyle-limiting claudication.