Sheathless use of Supera stent minimizes access complications in antegrade femoral puncture: Technical note with case series

Abstract

Antegrade femoral puncture (AFP) is the preferred strategy to treat lower limb obstructive disease. However, the presence of vascular calcification may be associated with procedure related adverse events, impairing endovascular device strategies. We describe a case series of superficial femoral and popliteal artery treatments by Supera stent implantation using a simple technique to significantly minimize the dimension of the antegrade femoral puncture from 6 to 4 French (Fr). All antegrade femoral punctures, crossing femoro-popliteal lesion and predilation were made with 4 Fr introducer. After preparation the Supera stent was navigated in sheathless fashion via 0.018-inch guidewire. Postdilation and final control were made replacing the 4 Fr introducer via the same guidewire. A good final result was achieved. Patients were discharged early without any complications. This minimally invasive technique in cases of infrainguinal peripheral artery disease could be feasible and effective for minimizing the risk of complications in patients with critical limb ischemia.