Balloon-expandable stent deformation during deployment into the iliac artery: a procedural complication managed conservatively

Abstract

The management of aortoiliac insufficiency has been improved considerably since the introduction of balloon-expandable stents in 1991. Although numerous studies have shown the safety and efficacy of balloon-expandable iliac artery stent placement, the procedure is not without potential complication. We report here a very unusual case of iliac artery stenting being complicated by deformation and elongation of the stent following balloon rupture at initial deployment with retention of the distal balloon marker and our successful approach to subsequent management with combined acetylsalicylic acid and clopidogrel. In conclusion, this conservative approach may be an alternative treatment of a partially deployed aortoiliac stent with a retained foreign body when further intervention is considered to be of high risk.