Mural thrombotic deposits in abdominal aortic endografts are common and do not require additional treatment at short-term and midterm follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the incidence and clinical significance of thrombotic, nonocclusive mural deposits in abdominal aortic stent-grafts incidentally found on follow-up computed tomography scans after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).


METHODS
Between 1998 and 2007, 288 patients underwent EVAR of an infrarenal aortic aneurysm. In the majority of cases, a Zenith stent-graft (n = 187) or Excluder stent-graft (n = 71) was implanted. Clinical and radiologic follow-up was performed prospectively according to the EUROSTAR registry, with mean follow-up periods of 4.69 and 5.05 years, respectively, for the Excluder and Zenith groups.


RESULTS
Thrombotic deposits were found in 17% and 33% of patients in the Excluder and Zenith groups, respectively, which represents a significant difference (P = .038). Clinically, no distal atheroembolic events were noted during follow-up, and there was no significant difference in survival between patients with and without thrombotic deposits (P = .80).


CONCLUSIONS
Incidentally found thrombotic deposits in abdominal aortic endografts are common and device-specific, with a lower incidence in the Excluder group versus the Zenith group. These thrombotic deposits are clinically silent, do not require additional treatment at short-term and midterm follow-up, and do not affect the overall survival of the treated patients.
Maleux
Geert
G
Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. geert.maleux@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Koolen
Marcel
M
Heye
Sam
S
Heremans
Birgit
B
Nevelsteen
André
A
D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D020127:Recovery of Function; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy