One-Year Outcomes of Heparin-Bonded Stent-Graft Therapy for Real-World Femoropopliteal Lesions and the Association of Patency With the Prothrombotic State Based on the Prospective, Observational, Multicenter Viabahn Stent-Graft Placement for Femoropopliteal Diseases Requiring Endovascular Therapy (VANQUISH) Study

Purpose: To evaluate the real-world primary patency of heparin-bonded stent-graft therapy for femoropopliteal (FP) occlusive disease and identify any clinical factors, including the prothrombotic state, associated with the loss of patency. Materials and Methods: This multicenter study prospectively enrolled 424 limbs of 371 patients (mean age 75±8 years; 247 men) scheduled for Viabahn stent-graft placement in the FP segment. A full-coverage strategy using only a Viabahn stent-graft was preferred, but “spot stenting” with the Viabahn was also allowed. The prothrombotic state was assessed by measuring platelet reactivity. Vascular morphology was evaluated using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Primary patency was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method in the subgroup of patients having full lesion stent-graft coverage (n=343 limbs, 81.1%). The secondary outcomes were major amputation, surgical reconstruction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), and thrombotic occlusion. Regression analyses were used to explore associations of baseline and clinical variables with loss of patency; the results are given as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The 1-year primary patency estimate was 80.3% (95% CI 75.5% to 85.1%) in the full-coverage group. There were 7 surgical reconstructions, 46 TLRs, 21 acute thrombotic occlusions, and 1 major amputation during the 1-year follow-up in the full-coverage group. Only angiography- and IVUS-determined vessel diameters were significantly associated with loss of patency, with crude ORs of 0.64 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.89, p=0.009) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.90, p=0.009), respectively, per 1-mm increase, whereas other variables, including the prothrombotic state (p=0.74), were not. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that only IVUS-determined vessel diameter was independently associated with loss of patency (adjusted OR per 1-mm increase 0.72, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.00, p=0.049). Conclusion: FP stent-graft placement achieved acceptable patency at 1 year in a real-world setting. A smaller vessel size was significantly associated with loss of patency, whereas the prothrombotic state was not.