One-Year Follow-up after Implantation of the EverFlex Nitinol Stent in Long Lesions of the Superficial Femoral Artery

Abstract

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.