ABSTRACT
Atherosclerotic lesions arise more frequently in the femoropopliteal segment than in any other region of the lower extremity. In particular, long chronic occlusions of the superficial femoral artery are considered the province of vascular surgery. Analysis of the distribution of peripheral arterial obstructive disease shows that more than 50% of all lesions are localized in the femoropopliteal region. Endovascular treatment with balloon angioplasty is well accepted for short segmental disease of the femoropopliteal artery. The technical success of revascularization of the femoropopliteal segment by balloon angioplasty is reported by almost all working groups to be very high, reaching from 80% to more than 95%. Close surveillance after endoluminal interventions on femoropopliteal arteries is of highest importance. Stents are visualized easily by B-mode sonography along the whole femoropopliteal artery. Self-expanding stents are therefore the stents of choice for implantation in the superficial femoral artery, an artery which is subjected to compression, elongation, shortening, and distortion over its whole length.
