Bifurcation stenting after failed angioplasty of infrapopliteal arteries in critical limb ischemia: Techniques and short-term follow-up

Objectives To report on the efficacy of drug eluting stents (DES) in below the knee lesions involving arterial bifurcations after failed angioplasty. Background DES have become a mainstay in the treatment of below the knee lesions. However, little is known about the efficacy of DES in infapopliteal lesions involving the arterial bifurcations. This is the first report on the endovascular treatment of below‐the knee bifurcations. Methods 11 patients with critical lower limb ischemia and complex infrapopliteal atherosclerotic disease underwent provisional DES placement in infrapopliteal bifurcation lesions. Clinical and angiographic follow–up data were prospectively collected in all patients. Results Technical success was achieved in all cases. After 6 months, the two vessel primary patency (2VPP) rate was 54.5% and the 1VPP rate was 81.8%. Between baseline and the follow‐up, mean ankle‐brachial index increased from 0.31 ± 0.10 to 0.68 ± 0.16, and mean Rutherford–Becker class decreased from 4.73 ± 0.20 to 3.00 ± 1.41 (P