title: Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms--6 years of experience with Ella stent-graft system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of 6-year results of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) treatment by Ella stent-grafts with regard to safety and effectivity in relation to morphology of the aneurysm.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a group of 172 patients with AAA, in whom elective endovascular treatment was considered, 120 of them (69.8%) were found to be suitable for this type of therapy. The bifurcated type of stent-graft was implanted in 97 patients, uniiliacal type in 19 patients and only four patients were found to be suitable for tubular type of stent-graft. Additional necessary procedures (internal iliac artery occlusion or contralateral common iliac artery occlusion in a group of patients with uniiliacal type of stent-graft) were performed surgically during the stent-graft implantation. CT and US controls were performed at 3, 6 and 12 months after implantation, later every 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary technical success was achieved in 109 of the 120 patients (91%). Primary endoleak was recorded in 11 patients (primary endoleak type Ia in seven patients, type Ib in three patients and type IIIa in one patient). Assisted technical success after reintervention or spontaneous seal was 98.3%. Surgical conversion was indicated in two patients (1.7%). Perioperative mortality rate was 3.3%. Total average follow-up period was 20.7 months (range from 2 to 60 months). In nine patients (7.5%) secondary endoleak type II was found at control CT or US, in three patients partial thrombosis of the stent-graft was found. There was no aneurysm rupture during follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of AAA with Ella stent-graft system is effective and safe. Bifurcated stent-graft is the most frequently used type. Uniiliacal type of stent-graft is used by us only in cases of complicated morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, I.P. Pavlova 6, 775 20 Olomouc, Czech Republic. martin.kocher@seznam.cz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Köcher
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Utíkal
authors.forename: Jirina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koutná
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bachleda
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buriánková
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: Jirí
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bucil
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Benýsek
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerná
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kojecký
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D015607:Stents; D015996:Survival Rate; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography