Indications and results after Strecker-stent-application in iliac and SFA.

We report on a study which has been performed during two consecutive time intervals on patients with complicated arterial obliterations, who were treated with percutaneous endoprostheses in order to stabilize the results obtained by the preceding balloon angioplasty. Eighty patients participated at this study, and 136 stents were implanted. A detailed analysis of the reocclusions respectively the stenoses shows that the precise placement of the stents and also the length of the stent in relation to the lesion is of utmost importance, in order to avoid reocclusions. The Strecker stents were lege artis placed in both time groups, and the increased occurrence of reocclusions, especially in the femoropopliteal region, was mainly due to the fact that only one stent length was available. Restenoses in the second group are, thus, considerably lower between 6 and 12 months, as the use of an adequate stent length was possible by then. The medical supplementary treatment of lege artis placed stents in the iliac arteries has no additional influence on the patency rate, while the medication with anticoagulants seems to have a rather positive effect on the patency rate in the femoro-popliteal region. The results, which have been obtained up to now, show that definite improvements are to be achieved by the use of stents, provided that their indication is being handled with utmost care.