Endovascular treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms: a single-center experience.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of covered stent-grafts in the endovascular treatment (ET) of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs).


METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted over a period of 52 months in 18 consecutive patients (17 men; mean age +/- SD, 70 years +/- 11) undergoing ET of PAAs with the Viabahn endograft in a single center. Patient symptoms, aneurysm characteristics, technical outcomes, complications, and follow-up were assessed.


RESULTS
Aneurysm diameters ranged from 12 to 51 mm with a mean of 30 mm (+/-11). Thirteen aneurysms (72.2%) were partially thrombosed and 12 patients (66.6%) had symptoms of lower limb ischemia at presentation (11 chronic and one acute). The technical success rate was 94%. Intraprocedural emboli and endoleak occurred in one and two patients, respectively. Fourteen patients were available for follow-up after successful treatment, with a mean follow-up time of 15 months (range, 7-37 months). All stent-grafts were patent after 1 month, with no mortality or limb loss. The primary patency rate with complete exclusion of the aneurysm at 6 months was 86%. Pre- and postprocedural noninvasive arterial studies were available in 10 patients, demonstrating improvement of the ankle-brachial index from 0.96 +/- 0.41 to 1.17 +/- 0.18, respectively (P = .06).


CONCLUSIONS
Endovascular stent-graft repair of PAAs is a feasible treatment option. However, further follow-up studies regarding the durability of results are required.
Etezadi
Vahid
V
Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, 8900 North Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33176-2197, USA. vahide@baptisthealth.net
Fuller
Joseph
J
Wong
Scott
S
Pena
Constantino
C
Benenati
James F
JF
Diehm
Nicolas
N
Patel
Rahul S
RS
Katzen
Barry T
BT
D000368:Aged; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome