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Abstract A 47-year-old female patient was admitted with a complaint of severe chest pain on effort. She had a history of effort angina treated using coronary artery bypass with left internal thoracic arterial bypass to the left ascending coronary artery. She also had left subclavian and vertebral arterial stenoses, which were treated with balloon-expandable stents. Exercise stress myocardial perfusion imaging revealed anterior to apex left ventricular myocardial ischemia. Cardiac ischemia due to left subclavian stenosis was diagnosed. We treated the left subclavian arterial stenosis with endovascular therapy. We observed that the vertebral Palmaz stent protruded from the ostium and the jailed subclavian artery on high-resolution angioscopy (Zemporshe with a 0.48-megapixel equivalent resolution; Taisho Biomed Instruments, Osaka, Japan) and optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI). A guide wire was successfully crossed through the Palmaz stent strut, which was confirmed using three-dimensional OFDI. The stent strut was dilated using balloon angioplasty. New imaging technologies are promising tools for improving the efficacy and safety of craniocervical intervention. < Learning objective: New imaging technologies including high-resolution angioscopy and 3D-optical frequency domain imaging have become available for endovascular therapy of peripheral artery disease. They could be used to observe stent strut deformation with high imaging quality and demonstrated successful guidewire passage through the stent strut. High-resolution angioscopic system yields images with higher quality and larger angular field than any other previous angioscopy systems.> [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated the time course of stent patency in the femoro-popliteal artery for as long as 4 years. Background: Stent fracture has been related to poor 2-year patency in the femoro-popliteal artery. Methods: We studied 239 consecutive patients who underwent provisional de novo stenting with nitinol stents for 333 limbs (Luminexx stent [C. R. Bard, Inc., Murray Hill, New Jersey] in 91 limbs; Smart stent [Cordis Corp., Miami Lakes, Florida] in 242 limbs) from April 2004 to December 2007. Stent fracture was determined by X-ray with multiple projections. Patency was assessed by duplex ultrasonography as peak systolic velocity ratio <2.4 or by angiography (% diameter stenosis <50%). Primary patency in those with and without stent fracture at follow-up was assessed along with factors influencing stent fracture. Results: Primary patency was 81%, 74%, 68%, and 65% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively. Stent fracture occurred in 14% (78 of 544) per stent and 17% (55 of 333) per limbs. Stent fracture was significantly associated with multiple stent deployments (with fracture = 2.3 ± 0.9 stents vs. without fracture = 1.5 ± 0.7 stents, p < 0.001) and long lesions (with fracture = 208 ± 84 mm vs. without fracture = 121 ± 79 mm, p < 0.001). Primary patency was 68% with fracture versus 83% without fracture at 1 year, p = 0.03; 65% versus 75% at 2 years, p = 0.05; 61% versus 69% at 3 years, p = 0.06; and 61% versus 65% at 4 years, p = 0.07. Neither type 1 nor type 3 fracture affected patency, although type 2 showed the worst patency. Conclusions: Stent fracture worsened the patency during the first 2 years, but it did not apparently affect patency beyond 2 years. In particular, complete stent separation did not affect patency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]