From May 2008 to January 2013, 20 patients (one woman and 19 men; mean age, 66.1聽years; range, 43-89聽years) underwent stent implantation, with or without catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT), for long-segment aortoiliac occlusion (>10聽mm).
The technical success rate was 95% (19 of 20). No in-hospital mortality was recorded. Aortic thrombus was successfully eliminated with CDT in four patients before percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stenting. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage occurred in one patient, who refused further endovascular surgery. Another 15 patients were聽treated with PTA and stenting. Postoperative ankle-brachial indexes increased significantly from preoperative values (P聽< .05). Seventeen patients showed clinical improvement from baseline by an average of 2.5 Rutherford categories. The mean follow-up interval was 17.6聽months (range, 4-39聽months). The primary patency rates were 93.3%聽卤 6.4% at 6聽months, 83%聽卤 11.3% at 18聽months, and 66.4%聽卤 17.4% at 24聽months.
Through brachial and femoral artery puncture, PTA, stenting, and CDT, endovascular therapy is feasible for complete long-segment infrarenal aortic occlusion, with lower complication rates and favorable midterm patency.