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.