title: Stent-graft versus open-surgical repair of the thoracic aorta: mid-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pivotal and comparative trial data are emerging for stent graft (SG) vs open repair of the thoracic aorta. We reviewed procedure-related perioperative morbidity, mortality, and mid-term outcomes in a contemporary series of patients treated with SG of the thoracic aorta. The data were compared with those of a patient cohort concurrently treated with open surgical repair confined to the descending aorta.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of patients undergoing SG procedures and open surgery of the thoracic aorta from January 1, 1996, to November 30, 2005, was performed from a prospectively compiled database. Study end points included perioperative complications, late survival, freedom from reinterventions, and graft-related complications. Multivariate methods were used to assess variables potentially associated with study end points; late outcomes were compared with actuarial methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 105 patients (mean age, 70 years; 66 male [62.9%]) SG repairs were done for 68 degenerative aneurysms (64.7%), 12 penetrating ulcers (11.4%), 15 pseudoaneurysms (14.3%), 9 traumatic tears (8.6%), and 1 acute dissection (0.9%). Mean follow-up was 22 months (range, 0 to 101 months). Eighty-nine (84.8%) SG patients were asymptomatic at presentation and underwent elective repair, whereas 16 (15.2%) presented with acute conditions and underwent urgent repair. Perioperative mortality was 7.6% (8/105), and actuarial survival at 48 months was 54% +/- 7%. The perioperative mortality rate among SG patients treated for degenerative pathology was 10.4% (8/77). Seven (6.7%) of 105 patients experienced spinal cord ischemic complications, including 2 patients with transient paraparesis that resolved by the time of discharge. Reinterventions were performed in 10.5% of patients (11/105), with freedom from reintervention approaching 81% by 48 months. Over the same interval, 93 patients were treated with open-surgical repair for descending thoracic aneurysm (anastomosis cephalad to the celiac axis). Perioperative mortality in the open cohort was 15.1% (14/93; P = .09 vs SG repair), and the 48-month actuarial survival was 64% +/- 6%. The incidence of spinal cord ischemic complications was 8.6% (8/93), including 4 patients with transient paraparesis (P = .44 vs SG repair). Nine patients (9.7%) required surgical reintervention during the follow-up period, with 48-month freedom from reintervention approaching 79% (P = .73 vs SG repair).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Operative mortality was halved with SG, with similar late survival for both cohorts. Reinterventions were required at a nearly identical rate for open repair and SG, and both groups experienced similar rates of spinal cord ischemic complications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Brewster
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kwolek
authors.forename: Glenn M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lamuraglia
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: Thomas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Cambria
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000601:surgery; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000601:surgery; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000009:adverse effects; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000601:surgery; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D015607:Stents; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014456:Ulcer / Q000601:surgery