ABSTRACT
The treatment of aorto-iliac occlusive disease has undergone a marked paradigm shift over the past 30 years with the vast majority of these patients now being treated with endovascular means. The study presented here by Julio Palmaz et al. in 1990 was the first large trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of balloon-expandable stents for the treatment of iliac disease. Prior to this, the standard endovascular therapy had been stand-alone angioplasty. This multicenter study demonstrated that iliac stenting could be performed safely with high technical success and excellent short-term and mid-term clinical outcomes. The positive results from this publication laid the foundation for the transition of the treatment of aorto-iliac occlusive disease from being primarily surgical to being treated with endovascular means.
