Aortic necks of ruptured abdominal aneurysms dilate more than asymptomatic aneurysms after endovascular repair.
BACKGROUND
Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is increasingly used. We evaluated if a difference exists in the rate of change of the aortic neck diameter between non-ruptured and ruptured AAAs after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).


METHODS
Details of patients undergoing elective (group I) and emergency (group II) EVAR using Talent stents between October 1999 and September 2005 were reviewed. Top neck diameters were prospectively recorded on the hospital database from computed tomography scans preoperatively and at 1, 3, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The aortic neck diameter rate of change was calculated for each group.


RESULTS
Endovascular repair was performed on 110 elective and 41 emergency patients, of which 100 (80 male) elective and 29 (26 male) emergency patients were included in this analysis. Mean age was similar in each group. Stents were oversized by 20.9% +/- 13.6% in group I and by 24.7% +/- 16.3% in group II (P = .37). The preoperative mean proximal aortic neck was larger in group II (25.0 +/- 3.3 mm vs 23.5 +/- 2.8 mm; P = .029). The growth rate of the top neck diameter was significantly greater at 12 months (1.48 +/- 2.4 mm/year vs 3.89 +/- 6.24 mm/year; P = .04) and 24 months (.99 +/- 1.1 mm/year vs 2.61 +/- 3.3 mm/year; P = .04) in group II than in group I. A decreasing sac size was found in 68.2% of patients whose neck dilated. The complication rate was similar in each group.


CONCLUSIONS
Aneurysm necks in patients with ruptured aneurysms are larger and dilate at a greater rate than those with nonruptured aneurysms. The accelerated rate of expansion in some patients must be borne in mind during follow-up and in secondary endovascular interventions and conversion to open surgery.
Badger
Stephen A
SA
Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Centre, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, United Kingdom. Stephen@Badger.tc
O'donnell
Mark E
ME
Makar
Ragai R
RR
Loan
William
W
Lee
Bernard
B
Soong
Chee V
CV
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000379:methods; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D001027:Aortography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome