Stenting versus percutaneous transluminal angioplasty alone for intermittent claudication

There is insufficient evidence on the benefits and harms of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stenting compared to PTA alone in intermittent claudication.

A Cochrane review included 2 studies with a total of 104 patients. Both studies included only individuals with femoro-popliteal disease. They compared percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stenting with the Palmaz stent against PTA alone. Although one study showed a slight statistical advantage in arterial patency after angioplasty alone, this was not found when the two studies were combined (OR 2.37, 95% CI 0.99 to 5.71, favours PTA alone). No differences in the secondary outcomes (embolic events, early thrombosis, patient-reported clinical deterioration) in either study were detected.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (unclear allocation concealment and lack of blinding), by indirectness (short follow-up time), and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).

Ədəbiyyat

1. Bachoo P, Thorpe PA, Maxwell H, Welch K. Endovascular stents for intermittent claudication. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2010;(1):CD003228. .