Size of the proximal neck in AAAs treated with balloon-expandable stent-grafts: CTA findings in mid- to long-term follow-up.

PURPOSE: To determine the evolution of the proximal aortic neck diameter in mid- to long-term follow-up after endovascular aneurysm repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with a balloon-expandable stent-graft. METHODS: Thirty patients (27 men; average age 71 years, range 56-87) with infrarenal AAAs were treated with the SETA-Latecba balloon-expandable stent-graft (6 aortomonoiliac and 24 bifurcated configurations). Follow-up ranged from 4 to 8 years (mean 73.4 months). Computed tomography was done systematically before the procedure, after implantation (1-3 months), at 1 year, and annually thereafter. The last follow-up scan was utilized to measure the proximal neck for purposes of comparison with baseline and the initial post-implant scans. RESULTS: Five patients died during follow-up of causes unrelated to the procedure. No endoleaks or graft migrations were observed. The pre-deployment proximal neck diameter (a) averaged 23.4 mm (range 18-32), the diameter after deployment of the stent-graft (b) averaged 24.9 mm (range 18-34), and the most recent follow-up proximal neck measurement (c) averaged 23.8 mm (range 18-31). Comparing the last follow-up to the post-implant measurements (c-b), the neck diameter decreased in 15 (50%) patients [7 with short necks (i.e., <15 mm)] and remained unchanged (no variation) in 15 (50%) patients (4 with short necks). All patients treated with the SETA-Latecba balloon-expandable stent-graft showed stability of the proximal aortic neck diameter in mid- to long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the diameter reached at initial deployment did not increase further in the long term, which supports the safety and reliability of this modular balloon-expandable stent-graft and illustrates that this device does not produce dilatation of the proximal neck after deployment. Future dilatation of the aortic neck is unlikely, and consequently, migration or delayed type I endoleak are also unlikely.

Revisión crítica de las eventraciones basada en evidencias / Evidences about high risk factors of incisional hernia

Antecedentes: Las revisiones retrospectivas sobre eventraciones son numerosas pero, las comunicaciones basadas en evidencias son escasas. Objetivos: Hallar las evidencias sobre factores eventrógenos y las que avalen las técnicas de reparación con y sin prótesis. Lugar de aplicación: Hospital General de Agudos. Diseño: Serie de casos y control. Análisis sistemático de la literatura. Población: 184 pacientes con 199 eventraciones. Material clínico: Pacientes operados entre enero de 1995 y diciembre de 2001, registrados en un protocolo preoperatorio de factores sugeridos como predisponentes para el desarrollo de eventraciones. Evaluación de las reparaciones con y sin material protésico. Material bibliográfico: Búsqueda en Medline 1990-2001 sobre etiopatogenia de eventraciones crónicas, usando las palabras claves "randomized control trials" e "incisional hernia". Análisis general de la bibliografía para información adicional. Resultados: Hubo evidencias de nivel III para asociar la edad, el sexo masculino y la obesidad con el desarrollo de eventraciones. Las incisiones verticales tuvieron un riesgo relativo de 6.40 y la reincisión uno de 6,53. La infección de la herida tuvo un riesgo relativo de 4,91 y en la literatura se reconoce con un nivel III de evidencia. Hay un nivel de evidencia I que destaca la superioridad de las reparaciones con mallas irreabsorbibles. Conclusiones: La mayoría de los factores considerados predisponentes de eventraciones surgen del consenso de expertos o tienen un nivel III de evidencia. En cambio, para la reparación hay evidencias de nivel I para recomendar el uso de mallas sintéticas