Two-Month Angioscopic Evaluation of Superficial Femoral Artery Treated With Paclitaxel-Coated Nitinol Drug-Eluting Stent

A 76-year-old woman presented with life-limiting claudication in the left leg.Ankle brachial index (ABI) was 1.07/0.63(right/left).Duplex ultrasound showed a decreased flow pattern of the left popliteal artery with normal flow pattern in the common femoral artery (CFA), and stenosis or occlusion of the left SFA was strongly suspected.Angiography 1 month later showed severe stenosis in the olymer-free, paclitaxel-coated nitinol drug-eluting stent (Zilver PTX; Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA) is now available for the treatment of peripheral artery disease in the superficial femoral artery (SFA), and durable clinical outcomes compared to the bare-metal stent counterpart have been reported.1-4 Arterial repair after Zilver PTX implantation in the SFA, however, remains uncharacterized.