Clinical Impact of Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Fluoropolymer-Based Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation for Femoropopliteal Lesions

BACKGROUND Treatment with a fluoropolymer-based drug-eluting stent (FP-DES has been widely applied to the contemporary femoropopliteal practice with durable outcomes. Nevertheless, the impact of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) utilization on clinical outcomes after FP-DES implantation has not been determined. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the impact of IVUS on 1-year clinical outcomes after FP-DES) implantation for femoropopliteal lesions in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease. METHODS As a subanalysis of the CAPSICUM (contemporary outcomes after paclitaxel-eluting peripheral stent implantation for symptomatic lower limb ischemia with superficial femoral or proximal popliteal lesion) study, the present investigation analyzed 1,091 patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease who underwent endovascular therapy with FP-DES for femoropopliteal lesions. One-year clinical outcomes were compared between patients treated with IVUS and those treated without IVUS after propensity score matching. The primary outcome measure was 1-year restenosis. The incidence of aneurysmal degeneration was also assessed. RESULTS A total of 843 (77.2%) patients underwent IVUS-guided FP-DES implantation. After propensity score matching, the 1-year restenosis was not significantly different between the groups (11.5% [95% CI: 9.1%-14.0%] vs 15.5% [95% CI: 10.9%-20.1%]; P = 0.22). The frequency of aneurysmal degeneration at 1 year was significantly higher in the IVUS group than in the non-IVUS group (19.8% [95% CI: 16.3%-23.4%] vs 7.1% [95% CI: 3.3%-11.0%]; P < 0.001). IVUS use was associated with a lower restenosis risk in patients with chronic total occlusion but not in those without (P for interaction = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS The present study revealed that 1-year restenosis risk was not significantly different between the 2 groups, whereas the incidence of aneurysmal degeneration was significantly higher in the IVUS group. (C) 2022 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of IVUS on 1-year clinical outcomes after FP-DES implantation in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease. The study found that there was no significant difference in 1-year restenosis risk between the IVUS group and the non-IVUS group, but the incidence of aneurysmal degeneration was significantly higher in the IVUS group.