For treatment of complex superficial femoral artery lesions, suitable stent devices are required. The present study details the first long-term results with the long EverFlex nitinol stent. Forty-one EverFlex stents were implanted in 32 patients with either superficial femoral artery occlusions (n = 20) or stenoses (n = 12); mean lesion length was 13.3 cm (range = 8.0–39.0). Patients presented with clinical stage Fontaine IIb (n = 27), III (n = 4), or IV (n = 1). Stent lengths were 10 cm (n = 18), 12 cm (n = 6), or 15 cm (n = 17). Follow-up after 2 months indicated primary and secondary patency rates of 96.9% (n = 31) and 100% (n = 32); ABI improved from 0.57 to 0.91 ( P < .001). After 1 year, revascularization was performed in 6 patients (18.8%). Primary and secondary patency rates were 81.3% (n = 26) and 93.8% (n = 30). In this first long-term evaluation, the long EverFlex nitinol stent achieves excellent clinical results after implantation into complex superficial femoral artery lesions.
Long-term results of open and endovascular revascularization of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease
