title: Endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic pathology: feasibility and mid-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to report our experience with 21 consecutive patients treated with a thoracic stent-graft.
  
  
  METHODS
  retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between October 1998 and February 2002, 21 patients (12 male), mean age 55.6 years (range 19-86 years), were treated for aorticortic pathology localized to the descending aorta (18 patients), the aortic arch (2 patients) and the ascending aorta (1 patient) and comprising true aneurysms (8 patients), false aneurysms (6 patients), traumatic rupture (4 patients), mycotic aneurysms (2 patients), and ruptured aneurysm (1 patient). Plain chest X-rays and computed tomography was performed at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively and then annually.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the median (range) operation time was 85min (50-305min), hospital stay 6 days (3-63 days) and follow-up 24 months (5-44 months). Complications occurred in 5 patients and comprised intraoperative migration (1), type I endoleak (1), type II endoleak (1), ischemic myelopathy (1), pneumonia (2), suture granuloma (1) and common femoral artery dissection (1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  stent-grafting can be successfully employed to treat a wide range of thoracic aortic pathologies with a mortality, morbidity and resource utilization that is considerably less than that associated with conventional surgery. However, long term follow-up on safety and efficacy is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lamme
authors.forename: I C D Y M
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reekers
authors.forename: B A J M
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: de Mol
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D020878:Device Removal; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures