Preliminary Clinical and Radiologic Outcome of Matched Patients with Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms Treated by Low-Profile vs Standard Profile Branched Aortic Endografts.

BACKGROUND: Durability of low-profile branched aortic stent-grafts (LPSG) in the treatment of patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) remains unclear. Objective of this study is to compare the outcomes of LPSG with standard profile branched aortic stent-grafts (SPSG). METHODS: Between January 2016 and January 2020, 225 consecutive patients with TAAA were treated by branched endovascular aortic repair (BEVAR). Twenty-four patients who were treated with a LPSG were compared to 24 patients who received SPSG as a control group. Control patients were selected according to aneurysm size (maximum aneurysm diameter) and extension (Crawford classification) as well as availability of adequate preoperative and postoperative CT-angiograms at 24 months. The primary endpoint was ongoing clinical success defined as successful implantation and freedom from aneurysm- or procedure-related death, secondary intervention, type I or III endoleak, infection, thrombosis, aneurysm expansion or rupture and conversion. Secondary endpoints were radiological changes of the branched endograft (migration, shortening, scoliosis, lordosis, and fracture). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 22.6 (LPSG) and 26.2 months (SPSG), no significant difference was found in terms of technical success (100% in both groups), late mortality (4.2% vs 0%), aneurysm diameter increase (4.2% in both groups) and reinterventions (25% vs 37.5%). Infection, thrombosis, aneurysm expansion or rupture and conversion were not observed. Radiological analysis of aortic graft remodeling showed no fracture and no significant migration, shortening, scoliosis and lordosis of the LPSG (6.1 mm, 7.5 mm, 12.8° and 6.1°) compared to SPSG (3.9 mm, 5.1 mm, 7.9° and 5.6°) after 2 years. CONCLUSION: The clinical and radiological findings of the present study showed no increased mortality and complications for the matched patients who underwent treatment with low-profile vs standard-profile BEVAR. This study provides preliminary evidence of safety and efficacy of low-profile branched endografts in patients with demanding iliac access vessels.

Colonic Ischemia after Standard Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, a Rare but Dangerous Complication.

Colonic ischemia (CI) after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, although rare, is associated with severe prognosis. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is becoming the standard of practice in most vascular centers, and it also may reduce CI incidence in comparison with conventional open repair. We report 2 cases of fatal CI after 636 standard EVAR procedures performed at our institution, from January 1998 to December 2017. Both patients were electively treated by highly skilled operators. In one patient, presenting early CI, EVAR procedure was complicated by intraoperative common iliac artery rupture. The other one, presenting CI in seventh postoperative day, had a history of previous left hemicolectomy. In both patients, CI with leakage of fecal material in the abdominal cavity was confirmed by surgical exploration. Only few cases of CI after EVAR have been reported in literature, and the etiology of this complication remains uncertain. While saving the inferior mesenteric artery is almost impossible during standard EVAR, the preservation of hypogastric arteries could play an important role, especially after colonic surgery, but other factors should also be considered. Our preliminary, although limited experience, seems to suggest that in CI developing, intraoperative persistent hypotension and hypogastric branches distal embolization have both a role that should be better addressed.