Stent-grafting for unfavorable abdominal aortic aneurysm: a practical challenge.
BACKGROUND
The endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has improved greatly in the last 15 years. The present study aimed to evaluate the endografting experience for the treatment of unfavorable abdominal aortic aneurysm (uAAA).


METHODS
During December 2001 and December 2007, 41 patients with uAAA were treated with endografting using concomitant techniques. Patients were followed up for 1 to 48 months (mean 20.5 months).


RESULTS
Technical success rate was 97.6% (40/41) with 1 failure converted to open surgery for an unaccessed iliac stenosis. Nine (22.5%) type I endoleaks (5 proximal and 4 distal) were observed on the completion angiograms and successfully corrected with aortic cuffs and iliac extensions during the procedure. Twenty-two of the planed adjunctive procedures were concomitantly performed just before endograft-implantation. There were 2 (5.0%) type I endoleaks at 30 days; one type I patient was treated by open conversion, another type I patient died from a rupture before treatment in the ward, causing a 2.5% of initial mortality. The two type II endoleaks were observed without aneurismal expansion. No buttock or leg claudication or ischemic colitis occured. During late follow-up, one additional death occurred from stroke. One new type I endoleak was encountered from thrombocytopenia, which caused a 2.6% secondary endoleak that converted to an open surgery in the third month after a failed transabdominal banding of the aortic neck in the second month. All type II endoleaks had disappeared in the third and sixth month. The Endografts did not present signs of material fatigue and no other type of endoleak formed. One patient presented with left limb ischemia, which underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. There was no additional aneurysm rupture or any endograft imgration.


CONCLUSIONS
The endografting with concomitant procedures is a feasible and efficient alternative for managing unfavorable AAAs, achieving low morbidity and mortality rates and has a good clinical outcome.
Hu
Zuo-Jun
ZJ
Department of Vascular Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Chang
Guang-Qi
GQ
Li
Xiao-Xi
XX
Huang
Xue-Ling
XL
Yin
Heng-Hui
HH
Wang
Shen-Ming
SM
D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome