Efficacity Study With the Protégé EverFlex Stent in Popliteal Lesions

DURABILITY-POP Study - Physician Initiated Trial Investigating the Efficacy of the Implant of Protégé EverFlex Nitinol Stents in Popliteal Lesions

This study will assess the results up to 12 months with the Protégé EverFlex stent (ev3) in patients presenting with a narrowing or blocking at the level of the knee artery, which leads to a limited walking distance, rest pain or non-healing ulcers.

Inclusion Criteria:

General Inclusion criteria

• De novo, restenotic or reoccluded lesion located in the popliteal artery, with or without superficial femoral artery involvement
• Patient presenting a score from 2 to 5 following Rutherford classification
• Patient is willing to comply with specified follow-up evaluations at the specified times
• Patient is >18 years old
• Patient (or their legal representative) understands the nature of the procedure and provides written informed consent, prior to enrolment in the study
• Prior to enrollment, the guidewire has crossed target lesion
• Patient is eligible for treatment with the self-expanding nitinol EverFlex (ev3) stent

Angiographic Inclusion Criteria

• The target lesion has angiographic evidence of stenosis or restenosis > 50% or occlusion which can be passed with standard guidewire manipulation
• The target lesion, visually estimated, has a maximal length of 14 cm and can be categorized as either a type A or B lesions according the TASC II guidelines
• Target vessel diameter visually estimated is >3.5mm and <7.5 mm
• There is angiographic evidence of at least one-vessel-runoff to the foot

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of another stent in the target vessel that was placed during a previous procedure
• Presence of an aortic thrombosis or significant common femoral ipsilateral stenosis
• Previous by-pass surgery in the same limb
• Patients for whom antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulants or thrombolytic drugs are contraindicated
• Patients who exhibit persistent acute intraluminal thrombus of the proposed lesion site
• Perforation at the angioplasty site evidenced by extravasation of contrast medium
• Patients with known hypersensitivity to nickel-titanium
• Patients with uncorrected bleeding disorders
• Aneurysm located at the level of the SFA and/or popliteal artery
• Female patient with child bearing potential not taking adequate contraceptives or currently breastfeeding
• Life expectancy of less than twelve months
• Ipsilateral iliac treatment before the target lesion procedure with a residual stenosis > 30% or ipsilateral iliac treatment conducted after the target lesion procedure
• Use of thrombectomy, artherectomy or laser devices during procedure
• Any patient considered to be hemodynamically unstable at onset of procedure
• Patient is currently participating in another investigational drug or device study that has not completed the entire follow up period.