title: Resolved abdominal aortic aneurysms following stent graft treatment: a report of five cases.
abstract: Complete aneurysm resolution is the hallmark of successful endoluminal stent-graft treatment. We describe 5 patients in whom an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disappeared completely at mid-term follow-up after endovascular stent-graft placement. We reviewed 45 patients (43 men and 2 women) who underwent AAA repair using an endovascular technique, from April 1997 to December 2001. Mean AAA diameter was 58.3 mm. On 48-month follow-up, 12 aneurysms had not changed in size, 4 had grown, 16 had shrunk, and 5 had resolved completely. We describe these 5 patients in detail. The 5 patients were all men, mean age 68 years: their mean aneurysmal sac diameter was 54 mm. The only common finding in all of them was patency of lumbar and inferior mesenteric arteries at pre-procedure evaluation as well as at follow-up. Mean time to complete resolution was 18 months. No major complications were encountered. AAA may resolve completely after endovascular stent-graft implantation. Patent side branches may perhaps contribute to AAA disappearance by antegrade flow. A larger patient population should be reviewed, however, before any statistical conclusion can be drawn.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, affiliated with Tel-Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv Tel-Hashomer, Israel. rimonu@sheba.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rimon
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garniek
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Golan
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bensaid
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Galili
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneiderman
authors.forename: Benyamina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morag
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D017537:Mesenteric Artery, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D013995:Time; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology