Percutaneous interventional reconstruction of the iliac arteries: primary and long-term success rate in selected TASC C and D lesions

We report the primary and long-term outcome of patients with selected TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) C or D lesions of the iliac arteries after percutaneous interventional reconstruction. Between 1999 and 2001, 89 patients with peripheral arterial disease categorized as TASC C (n=37) and D (n=52) underwent percutaneous interventional reconstruction and stent implantation. Patients were followed for 1-62 months (mean 36 months). Patency rates were assessed by Duplex ultrasound and ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement. The primary technical success rate was 96.9% with an overall complication rate of 5.6%. The ABI improved from an average of 0.51 +/- 0.15 before intervention to 0.79 +/- 0.16 on the day following intervention and to 0.81 +/- 0.17 within 3 years after intervention. Clinical improvement was observed in 97.3% of the patients in the TASC C group and in 88.5% in the TASC D group. Eighty of 89 patients (89.9%) remained patent at 3-year follow-up. In five patients the reintervention was successful. The secondary patency rate was 95.5%. The patency rates were similar in our selected TASC C and D patients to those so far published for TASC A and B, with low complication rates. Therefore, percutaneous intervention can be recommended for these patients.