title: A clampless and sutureless aortic anastomosis technique using an endograft connector for aortoiliac occlusive disease in which the aorta cannot be clamped or sewn due to calcification or scarring.
abstract: Bypass surgery in aortoiliac or aortofemoral occlusive disease can be technically demanding and hazardous due to huge calcifications and/or patient co-morbidities. We report about mid-term results of a telescoping sutureless aortic anastomosis technique using endografts as connectors to address such challenging situations. This is a single-center experience (2004-2011) in seven patients (63 ± 6 years) requiring aortoiliac (three) or aortofemoral (four) bypass surgery. In six cases, an aortic stent graft was telescoped into the infrarenal aorta and partly deployed within the aorta and partly outside the aorta. In the first case, a bifurcated stent graft was deployed and the iliac legs were prolonged extra-anatomically with surgical grafts to reach the femoral bifurcation. In the following five cases, a tapered tubular stent graft was deployed through the aortic wall, landing inside a bifurcated surgical graft that was extra-anatomically connected to the iliac or femoral arteries. In the last case, which presented a hostile abdomen and high-risk for extensive surgery, a similar technique was used, but on the iliac artery level. In that case, an iliac stent graft re-loaded 'upside down' was deployed through the left common iliac wall, landing distally inside a hand-made 10 × 10 mm bifurcated surgical graft that was extra-anatomically connected to the left external iliac artery and to the right femoral artery. The distal anastomoses on the seven cases were performed either with running sutures (ten) or with VORTEC (four). Telescoping aortic and/or iliac anastomosis was successful in all patients. There was no perioperative mortality. One patient developed postoperative hyperperfusion of the left leg and necessitated fasciotomy. During a mean follow-up of 1.8 ± 2 years (minimum: 270 days, maximum: 7.1 years), all of the grafts remained patent and there was neither stent-graft migration nor stenosis on the level of the aortic or iliofemoral connection. One patient showed disease progression and required percutaneous transluminal angioplasty on the external iliac artery during follow-up. The uneventful perioperative course in these seven patients, with a follow-up of up to six years, underscores that this new technique can be considered in patients with aortoiliac or aortofemoral occlusive disease and in whom clamping and/or anastomosis is expected to be cumbersome or impossible.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. dimitrios.papadimitriou2@gmail.com
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lachat
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pecoraro
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frauenfelder
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pfammatter
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Donas
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Veith
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rancic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003250:Constriction; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D015607:Stents; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*