Undersized stent graft for treatment of cephalic arch stenosis in arteriovenous hemodialysis access

Cephalic arch stenosis (CAS) is a common cause of AV dialysis access failure and is notoriously difficult to treat with conventional venoplasty. Although stent graft (SG) placement has improved patency rate, they are prone to stent failure caused by edge stenosis. We investigate the effect of SG diameter relative to cephalic vein on patency rate among hemodialysis patients with dysfunctional arteriovenous access caused by CAS. We identified 22 patients with recalcitrant cephalic arch stenosis or post-venoplasty vessel rupture and received SG placement. Patients were divided into two groups based on the stent-to-vessel diameter (S/V) ratio: undersized group,