title: Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms with a unibody stent-graft: 3-year results of the French Powerlink Multicenter Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the results of a prospective multicenter study on endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) using the bifurcated Powerlink stent-graft.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2000 and July 2001, endovascular AAA repair using the bifurcated Powerlink stent-graft was performed at 14 centers on 64 patients (61 men; mean age 70 years, range 56-90) fit for open repair. All procedures were attended by a proctor. Data were collected prospectively, and surveillance computed tomograms were reviewed by an independent center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Technical success was achieved in all cases. There was no postoperative death. During a minimum 3-year follow-up (mean 40.6 months, range 1-51), there were 3 (4.7%) stent-graft migrations associated with type I endoleaks. Two (3.1%) of these patients were converted to open repair, and 1 had a proximal extension implanted. No aneurysm rupture occurred, and no stent-graft degradation was observed. Six (9.4%) patients had secondary endoleak (3 type I and 3 type II). The limb occlusion rate was 3.1%. Six (9.4%) patients had secondary procedures. At 3 years, 58 (91.0%) patients were available for follow-up (4 deaths, the 2 conversions). There was a significant decrease between preoperative and 3-year mean AAA diameter (54.6+/-7 versus 47.6+/-10 mm, respectively; p<0.001). Aneurysm sac shrinkage was observed in 32 (55.2%) patients. Twenty-five (43.1%) patients had a stable aneurysm sac diameter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endovascular repair using the bifurcated Powerlink stent-graft is safe and effective. Unibody design seems to confer advantages in terms of durability. These results need to be confirmed by longer follow-up and larger series.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Surgery Department, Hôpital Robert Debré, Reims, France. jnalbertini@chu-reims.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Noël
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Albertini
authors.forename: Zineb
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lahlou
authors.forename: Pierre-Edouard
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Magnan
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branchereau
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome