A review of surgically treated patients with obstruction after stenting in the femoropopliteal artery region.

In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 36 cases that required surgical treatment in the femoropopliteal regions (46 regions) because of the development of obstructions after stent placement in these patients. Of the 46, stents were placed in 37 involved regions (80.4%) that included the common femoral and popliteal arteries; such as the common femoral, entire length of superficial femoral, or popliteal arteries, and the anastomosis site created during femoropopliteal (prosthetic graft) bypass surgeries (Group A). In contrast, 9 involved regions (19.6%) did not include the common femoral or popliteal arteries; the stents were primarily localized in the superficial femoral artery (Group B). Symptoms of stent occlusion were more severe in the former group of patients, who subsequently required peripheral artery bypass surgery. These results indicate that placement of stents in the common femoral artery and popliteal arteries should be avoided. (English translation of J Jpn Coll Angiol 2012; 52: 19-23).