Endovascular stents for intermittent claudication
Clinical bottom line
There is insufficient information to know whether these are effective and safe.
Reference
P Bachoo, P Thorpe. Endovascular stents for intermittent claudication. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, issue 4.
Study
- Date review completed: October 2002
- Number of trials included: 2
- Number of patients: 104
- Control group: Stenting plus angioplasty compared with angioplasty alone.
- Main outcomes: Duplex scan for stenosis or occlusion
Results
Although two trials were randomised properly, neither could be blinded. There was no convincing statistical or clinical benefit in these two small trials.
Comment
Clearly an area where more information is needed. The author of the review, writing in Clinical Evidence, tells us that four additional studies have been found since the original review. In none of them was there any benefit of stenting over angioplasty.