Endovascular repair in the thoracic and abdominal aorta: no increased risk of spinal cord ischemia when both territories are treated.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the morbidity associated with thoracic and abdominal aortic repair using endovascular exclusion alone or combined endovascular and open repair.


METHODS
Between January 1998 and February 2007, 49 patients (36 men; mean age 70 years) underwent treatment for thoracic and abdominal aorta disease with descending thoracic aortic (DTA) stent-graft and abdominal aortic repair. Thirty-nine patients with coexisting thoracic and abdominal pathologies were classified with multilevel aortic disease (MLAD), whereas 10 patients presented with thoracoabdominal aneurysm. Patients were separated into 3 groups: 1: thoracic stent-grafts and open abdominal repair (n = 18), group 2: thoracic and abdominal stent-grafts (n = 21), and group 3: thoracic stent-grafts with visceral artery debranching (n = 10). Prior carotid-subclavian bypass was performed in 3 (6%) patients with a dominant left vertebral artery.


RESULTS
Stent-graft deployment was technically successful in all cases. Eight (16%) patients underwent emergent thoracic stent-graft placement. In 9 (18%) patients, the left subclavian artery was covered. No incidence of spinal cord ischemia was observed. The 30-day mortality was 4%, and overall mortality was 6% over a mean 33-month follow-up. The endoleak rate was 6% (1 type I, 1 type II, and 1 type III).


CONCLUSIONS
Conventional or endovascular abdominal open repair in combination with DTA stent-grafting is feasible and a safe alternative to traditional open repair. Management of MLAD did not show increased incidence of spinal cord ischemia and was associated with fewer complications and deaths than simultaneous or staged open thoracic and abdominal repairs.
Aguiar Lucas
Leonardo
L
Department of Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery, Arizona Heart Institute and Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Rodriguez-Lopez
Julio A
JA
Olsen
Dawn M
DM
Diethrich
Edward B
EB
D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000209:etiology*; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome