Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty versus primary stenting

The decision to perform primary aortoiliac stent placement or to reserve metal stents for inadequate balloon angioplasties is an important one. Unfortunately, only a single randomized control study, the Dutch Iliac Stent Trial, has examined this issue. It is important for interventionalists to recognize both the merits and deficiencies of that widely quoted work and to understand its limitations as a guide for patient care.