ABSTRACT
Patients with aortoiliac occlusive disease may be asymptomatic or present with a full range of symptoms from mild claudication to limb-threatening ischemia. The initial assessment should include a physical examination for signs of peripheral ischemia, distal embolization, and the status of the peripheral pulses. Appropriate assessment of these patients includes a complete carotid, abdominal, and lower extremity vascular examination as well as appropriate screening and assessment for coronary artery disease. A complete cardiovascular assessment of the patient with aortoiliac occlusive disease should be performed, given the high incidence of associated atherosclerotic diseases. Since 1980, balloon angioplasty has been used successfully, in the terminal aorta. Stents are an attractive therapeutic option for the management of large artery occlusive disease to maintain or improve the arterial luminal patency after balloon angioplasty. The long-term patency of iliac vessels treated with balloon angioplasty is influenced by both clinical and anatomic variables.
