Impact of lipoprotein(a) levels on primary patency after endovascular therapy for femoropopliteal lesions

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a risk factor for peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the relationship between Lp(a) levels and clinical events after endovascular therapy (EVT) for the femoropopliteal artery in PAD patients remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of Lp(a) levels on primary patency after EVT for de novo femoropopliteal lesions in PAD patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 109 patients who underwent EVT for de novo femoropopliteal lesions, and Lp(a) levels were measured before EVT between June 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into low Lp(a) [Lp(a) < 30 mg/dL; 78 patients] and high Lp(a) [Lp(a) ≥ 30 mg/dL; 31 patients] groups. The main outcome was primary patency following EVT. Loss of primary patency was defined as a peak systolic velocity ratio > 2.4 on a duplex scan or > 50% stenosis on angiography. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to determine whether high Lp(a) levels were independently associated with loss of primary patency. The mean follow-up duration was 28 months. The rates of primary patency were 83 and 76% at 1 year and 75 and 58% at 2 years in the low and high Lp(a) groups, respectively (P = 0.02). After multivariate analysis, High Lp(a)[Lp(a) ≥ 30 mg/dL] (hazard ratio 2.44; 95% CI 1.10–5.44; P = 0.03) and female sex (hazard ratio 2.65; 95% CI 1.27–5.51; P < 0.01) were independent predictors of loss of primary patency. Lp(a) levels might be associated with primary patency after EVT for de novo femoropopliteal lesions.