[Endovascular implantation of stent-grafts in the thoracic aorta -mid-term results of a prospective controlled study].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of endovascular treatment of various descending thoracic aortic pathologies with covered stent-grafts as an alternative to open surgery.


METHODS
Among 16 patients (5 type B dissections, 5 contained ruptures, 3 aneurysms of the descending aorta, 1 thoraco-abdominal aneurysm, 1 mural thrombosis, 1 patch aneurysm) treated between November 1997 and November 2000, eight patients received Talent stent-grafts and another 8 patients underwent a Gore-TAG stent-graft implantation. A clinical follow-up and control CT scans were obtained after the procedure and then at six-month intervals.


RESULTS
Deployment of the stent-grafts was technically successful in all cases. Sufficient aortic reconstruction was achieved in all but one patient who needed surgical treatment. One patient died two days after the procedure from aortic rupture due to retrograde type A dissection. Another patient died 19 months after the procedure from an unknown cause. There was no occurrence of distal embolization, paralysis or infection. During follow-up, all patients remained free from recurrence or late complications of their disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Endoluminal treatment of thoracic aortic pathologies with covered stent-grafts appears to be a safe and feasible method with at least mid-term efficacy.
Duda
S H
SH
Abteilung für Radiologische Diagnostik, Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen, Germany. stephan.duda@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Pusich
B
B
Raygrotzki
S
S
Uckmann
F P
FP
Aebert
H
H
Tepe
G
G
Pereira
P
P
Feuls
R
R
Ziemer
G
G
Claussen
C D
CD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000601:surgery*; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed