2.1. The Studying Subjects

PAD patients (n = 63) with a mean age of 66 years who were hospitalized between April 2007 and April 2014 were included in the study. Arteriosclerosis was diagnosed in all patients. Among them, there were 39 smokers (61.9%), 51 cases of hypertension (81.0%), 38 cases of diabetes (60.3%), 30 cases of hyperlipidemia (47.6%), 34 cases of coronary artery disease (54.0%), and 18 cases of cerebrovascular disease (28.6%). All 63 patients were evaluated by duplex ultrasonography, magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, computerized tomography, and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) prior to operation. The study received ethical approval from the competent Institutional Review Boards of Capital Medical University and was performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations in Capital Medical University. All participants provided written informed consent.

All the patients met the criteria of using Kissing-stenting treatment as the following: (1) vascular color Doppler ultrasound showed hypoechoic or admixture-echoic signs at the occlusion sites in common iliac artery occlusions despite absence of severe calcification; (2) no anchoring (landing zone) occurred at aorta-iliac junction or proximal position in common iliac artery for PTA and stent placement; and (3) catheter or the guide wire may pass the segments of aorta-iliac occlusive disease. In parallel, the severity of occlusion was further confirmed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA), indicating 42 patients with no proximal iliac stump and 21 patients with short proximal iliac stump (≤1 cm).