title: Total endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endovascular graft designs incorporating sidebranches, fenestrations and scallops offer a minimally-invasive alternative to open surgery and hybrid approaches for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). Our unit has offered total endovascular TAAA repair to selected higher-risk patients since 2008. We report the largest UK series to date of total endovascular TAAA repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of a prospectively-maintained operative database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  31 patients (21 male, 10 female) median age 71 years (range 58-84), with TAAA (12 Crawford type I, 13 type III, 6 type IV), median diameter 6.4 (4.3 (mycotic)- 9.9) underwent endovascular TAAA repair (total 48 sidebranches, 26 fenestrations, 13 scallops) between July 2008 and January 2011. Median operating time 225 min (65-540 min), X-ray screening time 58 min (4-212 min), contrast dose 175 ml (70-500 ml), blood loss 325 ml (100-400 ml). Median post-operative length of hospital stay 6 days (2-22 days). Three patients (3/31, 9.7%) died within 30 days of operation: multisystem organ failure (1) acute renal failure and paraplegia (1) and paraplegia (1). There were no other cases of in-hospital organ failure, paraplegia or major complications. The median change in pre-discharge from pre-operative renal function was 3.4% deterioration in eGFR (range: 32.7% deterioration to 73.0% improvement) One patient presented with late-onset paraparesis, a second developed acute renal failure 8 months after repair. One early high-pressure endoleak (type 3) required correction. Three patients had died by median follow-up 12 months (1-36), 2 from heart disease and one from haemopericardium secondary to acute dissection of the ascending aorta (the dissection did not involve, nor extend close to, the endovascular graft).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total endovascular repair of TAAA offers patients a minimally-invasive alternative to open surgery with early results at least comparable to those seen with open or hybrid surgical approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's Health Partners, United Kingdom. rachel.clough@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Clough
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Modarai
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salter
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sabharwal
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Carrell
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000209:etiology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D057867:Endoleak / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020335:Paraparesis / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents