| Abstract: | The purpose of the study was to assess the areas of balloon angioplasty (BAP) and stenting of lower extremity arteries and femoral, popliteal, mainly, in situ autovenous shunts, by using color duplex scanning (CDS) in the late period of a follow-up. Materials and methods. The CDS technique could diagnose 344 (64%) areas of BAP and stenting of lower extremity arteries and shunts. The echosemiotics of complications typical of a late period was determined. Based on the specified echosemiotics of late complications, the author detected 99 (28.8%) cases of hemodynamically significant complications: BAP and stenting area stenosis (n=25 (7.3%)); BAP area restenosis (reocciusion) (n=33 (9.6%)); stent restenosis (n=19 (5.5%), arterial stenosis proximal and distal to a stent (n=17 4.9%)), and stent breakage (n=5 (1.5%)). Hemodynamically insignificant complications were revealed in 90 (26.2%) cases: intimal dissection in 16 (4.7%) cases, BAP area restenosis in 35 (10%), stent restenosis in 15 (4.4%), and arterial stenosis proximal or distal to the stent and between the stents. In the late period following BAP and stenting aortoiliac patency was 87.50 + 3.18% during a mean follow-up o 27.58 + 1.50 months. In the late period, the patency of the superficial femoral artery (SFR) was 55.41 + 14.43% during a mean follow-up of 22.60 + 2.73 months, that of the popliteal artery (PA) was 67.34 + 15.98% during a mean follow-up of 43.08 + 5.81 months, that of shin arteries was 44.96 + 19.77% during a mean follow-up of 18.76 + 2.58 months, and that of shunts, was 40.89 + 18.47% during a mean follow-up of 23.32 + 2.29 months. Thus, changes caused by the progression of the underlying disease--atherosclerosis were found in the areas of BAP and stenting of lower extremity arteries and shunts. Stent breakage may be due to "metal deterioration" and the presence of a stent in the superficial femoral artery with greatest functional load on extremity movement and flexion. The blood flow spectrum mode recording a local hemodynamic shift with > 2.0-2.5-fold linear blood flow velocity increase in the complication area was leading in the operation of an ultrasound apparatuses in the differential diagnosis of hemodynamically significant and insignificant complications. The results of good late patency of the areas of BAP and stentming of SFR and PA may be accounted for by strict criteria for selecting patients for endovascular surgery, by taking into account the indications for and contraindications to TASC (2001). In our study, 20 endovascular reinterventions (repeated balloon angioplasty, additional stenting stent balloon angioplasty) in complicated areas were performed, which maintained and prolonged the function of segments. The detection of hemodynamically insignificant complications revealed patients who need further meticulous follow-up ultrasound studies. |
