Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms with the t-Branch off-the-shelf multibranched endograft.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms is becoming increasingly popular in clinical practice, mainly because of its reduced perioperative mortality and morbidity. However, the custom-made stent graft platform that companies offer requires detailed preoperative planning and production time that can take up to 12 weeks. This may delay surgery in elective patients and is not an option for urgent or emergent cases. To surpass this limitation, the t-Branch (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind) was launched in 2012 in Europe as the first off-the-shelf standardized multibranched endograft for the endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms. Our aim was to systematically evaluate all published experience with this commercially available off-the-shelf thoracoabdominal stent graft. METHODS: We performed a systematic inquiry of the medical databases to identify all published studies that reported on the outcomes of patients treated with the t-Branch stent graft and then conducted a qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis of the results. The main end points studied were technical success, mortality, major stroke, spinal cord ischemia, primary branch patency, and renal insufficiency during the first 30 days along with midterm mortality and reintervention rate. We estimated pooled proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We identified seven retrospective studies published between 2014 and 2018, with a total of 197 patients (mean age, 72.3 ± 7 years; 70% male). Among 165 patients, 45% were symptomatic and 19% were treated for a ruptured aortic aneurysm. In 197 patients, pooled technical success was 92.75% (95% CI, 83.9%-98.7%), and in 10% of the cases, an early endoleak was detected (95% CI, 0%-43.7%). Early mortality was 5.8% (95% CI, 2.5%-10%), and major stroke was observed in 4% of the patients (95% CI, 0.96%-8.40%). The rate of spinal cord ischemia was 12.2% (95% CI, 4.1%-23.2%), with the rate of permanent paraplegia at 1.3% (95% CI, 0%-8.7%). Acute renal failure was 18.7% (95% CI, 9.1%-30.4%), whereas primary branch patency was calculated at 98.2% (95% CI, 96.7%-99.2%). Mean follow-up was 15 ± 7 months. During this time, midterm mortality (after 30 days) was 6.9% (95% CI, 2.44%-12.8%) and pooled reintervention rate was 5.7% (95% CI, 1.70%-11.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This pooled analysis indicated good technical success rate after t-Branch endograft implantation, with acceptable mortality and neurologic complications despite a high rate of urgent procedures. Thoracoabdominal endovascular repair with the t-Branch endograft is a feasible and safe therapeutic option for elective and urgent patients.

Fascial suture technique versus open femoral access for thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

BACKGROUND: Fascial suture technique (FST) has proved to be a safe and effective access closure technique after endovascular repair of the abdominal aorta. FST has not yet been investigated for closure of large-bore access after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). The aim of this study was to compare FST with open femoral access in terms of access safety, hemostasis efficacy, and reintervention rate after TEVAR. METHODS: A retrospective study including consecutive patients undergoing TEVAR with either FST or open femoral access between January 2010 and April 2016 was undertaken. Exclusion criteria included the use of closure devices. The composite primary end point was defined as any access-related complication (bleeding, femoral artery stenosis or occlusion, pseudoaneurysm, and wound infection) during 30 postoperative days. Preoperative and procedural variables were examined in a multiple logistic regression model as potential associated factors with access morbidity. All access vessels were postoperatively examined by clinical examination and computed tomography angiography before discharge as well as during the follow-up period. In case of suspected pseudoaneurysm, additional duplex ultrasound and computed tomography angiography confirmed the diagnosis. RESULTS: From a total of 206 patients undergoing TEVAR, 109 (53%) had FST, whereas 93 (45%) had an open femoral access. Four patients were excluded: closure device was used in one; one had primary conversion after percutaneous puncture without FST; and in two, no data were available about the femoral access. The access complication rate was higher in FST (FST, 14 [13%]; open access, 3 [3%]; P = .01). Five (4.6%) patients needed early reintervention, two for bleeding and three for vessel occlusion. Seven (6.4%) pseudoaneurysms were detected during the 30-day period in the FST group; three had successful exclusion with thrombin injection, one was treated with manual compression, one was treated with open repair, and two were managed conservatively. Four (3.6%) patients in the FST group and three (3%) patients in the open access group had wound complications. After multiple logistic regression, FST was the only independent factor for any access complication (odds ratio, 5.176; 95% confidence interval, 1.402-19.114; P = .014). During follow-up, neither new pseudoaneurysm nor stenosis or occlusion was detected. CONCLUSIONS: FST for large-hole closure had higher risk for any access complication compared with open access in TEVAR during the 30-day postoperative period. No other complications during 12 months of follow-up were observed in FST patients.

Short- and Midterm Outcomes of Open Repair and Fenestrated Endografting of Pararenal Aortic Aneurysms in a Concurrent Propensity-Adjusted Comparison.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes of patients treated for pararenal aortic aneurysms using fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (fEVAR) vs open surgical repair (OSR) in 3 high-volume centers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted of 200 pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysm patients electively treated with OSR (n=108) or fEVAR (n=92) from 1998 to 2015 at 3 tertiary institutions. Endpoints were 30-day morbidity and mortality, late reinterventions, visceral artery occlusion, and mortality. Analysis was conducted on the entire population and on a propensity score-matched population constructed on age, gender, coronary artery disease (CAD), and chronic renal failure. RESULTS: In the total cohort, fEVAR patients were significantly (p<0.001) older and had higher frequencies of CAD (p<0.001) and previous stroke (p=0.003). OSR patients had higher risk of perioperative morbidity (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.09 to 5.71, p=0.033), specifically respiratory failure (OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.12 to 4.72, p=0.034). These findings were confirmed in the propensity-adjusted analysis, where cardiac complications were also higher after OSR (OR 12.8, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.21, p=0.02). No difference in perioperative mortality (2.2% in fEVAR vs 1.9% in OSR) was identified. Mean follow-up was 50 months (range 0-119). Four-year results showed higher survival (91.2% vs 69.3%, p=0.02) and freedom from reintervention (95.6% vs 77.8%, p=0.01) after OSR in the unmatched population, with a small but significant (p=0.021) difference in the risk of late visceral artery occlusion/stenosis after fEVAR. On propensity analysis, no differences in late survival were found between groups. CONCLUSION: fEVAR and OSR may afford similar early and midterm survival rates. Higher risks of perioperative systemic complications after OSR are counterbalanced by higher risks of late visceral vessel patency issues and need for reintervention after fEVAR. Both procedures are safe and effective in the long term in experienced centers, where patient evaluation should drive the treatment strategy.

Computed Tomography Postprocessing for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Lumen Recognition in Unenhanced Examinations.

INTRODUCTION: Contrast medium (CM) use in computed tomography (CT) is limited by nephrotoxicity and possible allergic reactions. The purpose of this study is to introduce a tool for the diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) by avoiding the use of CM. METHODS: With and without CM CTs of patients with AAA were evaluated. A mathematical algorithm was implemented to allow visualization of the inner aortic lumen in the series without CM. The first step of the algorithm consisted in manually highlighting a squared region of interest (ROI) close to the target aortic area. The rest of the algorithm is completely automated and performs the following flow of operations: The "Kantorovich" algorithm is applied to the ROI for image enhancement. Then, a wavelet decomposition method is applied to identify the different frequency components of the image. Exploiting the wavelet decomposition, the system selects the low-frequency components of the image, corresponding to the major structures. Thresholding method, based on the analysis of the gray-level histogram, is then performed to extract the contours of the vessel. At this point, the extraction of the pervious area is completed. Final images were compared with the contrast enhanced scans, valued as gold standard. To validate the algorithm, an analysis of the results has been performed considering the following types of error: En = #m/#ROI ΔA = |1-(#CM/#CEX)| (#m = number of misclassified pixels; #ROI = number of pixels in the ROI; #CM = number of pixels belonging to the CM; #CEX = extracted areas). En provided a measure on the pixels wrongly classified, and ΔA the difference of extracted areas. RESULTS: The algorithm was applied to 233 CT images. Extracted images were compared with the ones with CM. Mean values of the numerical errors ranged from 0.12 to 0.17 for En and 0.11 to 0.35 for ΔA. For all the 233 CT images in the analyzed sequences, the mean error was 0.14 (En) and 0.28 (ΔA). CONCLUSIONS: The developed mathematical algorithm allows to detect the position of the vessel lumen and to extract its contours with a good accuracy. Our experience shows encouraging results and suggests a possible future clinical application to reduce CT CM use.

Polymer Embolization and Anaphylactic Reaction during Implantation of an Ovation Stent Graft for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Exclusion.

During implantation of an Ovation endograft for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) correction, a patient experienced anaphylactic reaction after polymer leakage outside the device circuit. Procedure was completed after hemodynamic stabilization. Since postoperative day 2, patient complained of loss of legs strength. Medullar injury was excluded by electromyography test, and the clinical signs attributed to muscular necrosis and peripheral nerve involvement after arterial embolization. Furthermore, immediately after surgery, a wide erythematous area appeared in the lumbar region. During the next few days, the lesion developed from extensive blisters and necrosis to deep loss of substance. The wound needed to be medicated 2 or 3 times per week. One year after surgery, the patient still needs crutches for deambulation, and the back injury is currently under treatment. In conclusion, surgeons performing aortic endovascular repair with the Ovation endograft, as well as anesthesiologists participating in the procedure, should be aware of the possibility of embolization and ready to promptly treat possible complications.

Right brachial access is safe for branched endovascular aneurysm repair in complex aortic disease.

BACKGROUND: The risk of perioperative cerebrovascular events in endovascular repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms is reported from 2% to 15%. The unavoidable use of an upper extremity access during branched endovascular aneurysm repair (b-EVAR) may play a role in embolic brain injuries. For this reason, some advocate the use of a left-sided upper access to avoid crossing the origin of supra-aortic vessels. However, the assumption that right brachial access has a higher risk for stroke during b-EVAR has not been confirmed in the literature. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients treated by b-EVAR with right brachial access at a single institution. A through-and-through right-brachiofemoral 0.014-inch wire was used to stabilize the sheath across the arch in all cases. End point of the study was the incidence of cerebrovascular events. RESULTS: We identified 61 patients (65.6% male) during a 4-year period. Mean age at the time of surgery was 70.4 years (range, 53-87 years). The most common indication for treatment was type II (32.8%), followed by type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (23%). There were 20 urgent (32.8%) and 41 elective (67.2%) procedures. Two perioperative ischemic strokes occurred in the first postoperative day in two men (3.3%; 95% confidence interval, 0.397-11.84). No further ischemic strokes occurred perioperatively. There was no statistically significant association between the occurrence of postoperative stroke and any of the perioperative characteristics. No significant association was found between the duration of the procedure and the end point. In both patients with embolic events, the use of a left arm approach would not have been feasible due to coverage of the left subclavian artery ostium. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative stroke rate in b-EVAR with the use of a right brachial access in our experience was in line with the literature for treatment of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. We conclude that the right brachial access with the use of a stabilizing through-and-through wire is a safe approach during b-EVAR.

Technical Aspects of Implanting the t-Branch Off-the-Shelf Multibranched Stent-Graft for Thoracoabdominal Aneurysms.

PURPOSE: To describe the planning and technique for implantation of the t-Branch off-the-shelf multibranched aortic endograft. TECHNIQUE: Total endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms (TAAAs) with branched endografts is one of the most important paradigm shifts in the past decade. The t-Branch endograft, an off-the-shelf multibranched graft introduced in the European market in late 2012, allows treatment of patients with suitable anatomy in both the elective and urgent settings to avoid delays related to manufacturing time of custom-made devices. The steps required for the planning and implantation of the device are described, including some tips and tricks. CONCLUSION: The use of an off-the-shelf multibranched device is an appealing option in the treatment of TAAAs, especially in the acute setting. Nevertheless, results of complex aortic repairs with this specific device are associated with a learning curve and can be improved by identifying a number of intraoperative risks and paying heed to several technical details.

The Candy-Plug Technique: Technical Aspects and Early Results of a New Endovascular Method for False Lumen Occlusion in Chronic Aortic Dissection.

PURPOSE: To describe the technical aspects and early results of the Candy-Plug technique for endovascular false lumen occlusion in chronic aortic dissection. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study analyzing 18 consecutive patients (mean age 63 years, range 44-76; 16 men) with thoracic false lumen aneurysm in chronic aortic dissection. All patients underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair with false lumen occlusion using the Candy-Plug technique. Primary endpoints consisted of technical success (successful deployment) and clinical success (no false lumen backflow). Secondary endpoints included 30-day mortality and morbidity as well as aortic remodeling during follow-up. RESULTS: Technical success was 100%. Additional intraprocedural false lumen embolization at the Candy-Plug level was needed in 1 patient due to persisting false lumen backflow on the final angiogram (clinical success 94%). There were no intraprocedural complications. In the perioperative period, there were 3 minor complications: transient mild spinal cord ischemia, cervical hematoma after carotid-subclavian bypass, and a common femoral artery pseudoaneurysm. No deaths or reinterventions occurred. Complete distal false lumen occlusion was present on postoperative computed tomography in 15 patients, while 3 had minor contrast enhancement in the distal false lumen. Over a mean 9-month follow-up (range 0-26), 1 patient died due to rupture. Follow-up >6 months was available in 10 patients (mean 14.7 months, range 7-26): 7 patients showed aortic remodeling, while aneurysm size was stable in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: The Candy-Plug technique is a feasible endovascular method to achieve false lumen occlusion and aortic remodeling in chronic aortic dissection. It is associated with low morbidity and mortality due to its minimal invasiveness.

How to Confirm Catheterization of Inner Branches in Aortic Endografting: The Universal Flush Test.

PURPOSE: To describe a quick, simple, and reliable technique to confirm successful catheterization of a branched thoracic endograft's inner branch. TECHNIQUE: Accurate cannulation of inner branches can be verified through insertion and mild retraction of a Universal Flush angiographic catheter, whose tip hooks the branch and slightly opens. CONCLUSION: The use of an angiographic catheter with a curved tip is a safe and easy procedure that can be adopted to check the correct position inside the branch of an endograft designed for treatment of the aortic arch.

Rheolytic Thrombectomy with AngioJet® Is Safe and Effective in Revascularization of Renal Arteries' Acute Occlusion on Previous Complex Aortic Endovascular Repair.

Acute occlusion of the visceral arteries is a threatening complication following branched endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). Its prompt diagnosis and treatment are mandatory to restore renal function. Several techniques have been used to manage this complication. We report 2 clinical cases of patients, previously treated with implantation of an off-the-shelf thoracoabdominal aortic endograft, with acute bilateral occlusion of the renal arteries. Both patients were successfully treated with AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy. Acute occlusion of the renal arteries can dramatically complicate the outcome of patients treated with branched EVAR. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are required. Rheolytic thrombectomy rapidly removes intra-arterial thrombus through Bernoulli effect, preventing the risk of distal embolization and rapidly restoring the renal function.

Long-term Results of Tapered Stents in Endovascular Treatment of Carotid Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent technological developments allowed significant improvements in interventional approach to carotid artery stenosis. Tapered stents were specifically designed for extracranial carotid artery stenting (CAS) to deal with vessels mismatch with the objective of decreasing the risk of thrombosis. Nevertheless, whether the stent geometry may affect the outcomes of CAS is uncertain. This study aims to investigate the impact of stent configuration on perioperative and long-term results of this procedure. METHODS: All CAS procedures performed between 2005 and 2012 at a single high-volume center were reviewed. Primary end points of the study were 30-day mortality and any ipsilateral neurological event. Secondary end points were any late (>30 days) neurological event and restenosis >50%. RESULTS: About 1,368 procedures were performed in the period 2005-2012. 9.1% of the patients were symptomatic for recent focal neurological event. 883 patients were treated with a cylindrical stent while the others underwent a tapered design device implantation. Technical success was achieved in 96% of the procedures. No perioperative mortality was recorded; perioperative stroke occurred in 1.2% vs. 1.6% (P = not significant) in tapered and straight stent group respectively. Stent design did not predict perioperative ipsilateral neurological events neither at bivariate nor at multivariate analysis. At a mean follow-up of 30 months, late neurological events occurred in 26 cases (1.9%); conic stents resulted protective at Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The use of conic stents appears to be associated with similar perioperative results when compared with straight stents. Late outcomes suggest a lower risk of restenosis and late neurological events in patients with conical shape stents.

Isolated Spontaneous Dissection of the Iliac Arteries: False Lumen Embolization as an Adjunct to Percutaneous Stent Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous dissection of iliac arteries, without involvement of the aorta, is rare. Only few cases of endovascular treatment of this condition are reported in the current literature. METHODS: We report false lumen embolization strategy as an adjunct to stent grafting of the true lumen. RESULTS: A 68-year-old male patient was admitted to our institution with the incidental finding of an isolated iliac dissection with a false lumen aneurysm. He was electively treated with successful segmental iliac stent grafting to cover the primary entry tear in the common iliac artery. Coil embolization of the false lumen was chosen to provide distal seal of the false lumen aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: As in the treatment of aortic dissections, also in the iliac arteries, false lumen thrombosis should be targeted. To our knowledge, this is the first case of false lumen embolization of an isolated iliac dissection reported in literature. The technique we report was effective and could be easily reproduced.

Osteochondromas: An Unusual Cause of Vascular Disease in Young Patients: 2 Clinical Cases.

Osteochondroma is the most common benign tumor of bones in young patients. It is an unusual cause of nonatherosclerotic peripheral arteriopathy. It is mostly detected in youth and, thus, diagnosis can be delayed since symptoms such as claudication can be confused with muscular cramps. In case of clinical suspicion of peripheral artery disease in the young, the presence of an exostosis should be suspected. We reported our experience of 2 young patients with limb ischemia due to ab extrinseco compression of popliteal artery. In both cases, surgical exeresis of a lower limb exostosis was performed. In the first case, bypass surgery was not required since arterial wall was not damaged. In the second case, an autologous inverted saphenous vein femoro popliteal bypass was performed.

Bilateral Staged Computed Tomography-Guided Gluteal Artery Puncture for Internal Iliac Embolization in a Patient with Type II Endoleak.

Repair of isolated iliac aneurysm with stent-graft implantation and internal iliac coverage may induce significant type II endoleak from patent internal iliac refilling leading to ongoing aneurysm growth. Subsequent treatment of such complication can be challenging especially in case of bilateral iliac involvement. Open repair is technically demanding and often a high risk procedure, while embolization via transfemoral approach is unviable due to the stent-graft coverage precluding direct antegrade access between the common and the internal iliac lumen. Percutaneous retrograde embolization from superior gluteal artery is a feasible technique in case of impossible access through the origin of internal iliac artery.

[Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms - Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies]. / Das thorakale Aortenaneurysma ­ Diagnostik und Behandlungsstrategien.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms are a relatively uncommon disease, with an incidence of 10.4/100 000, with an increase in the last decades, due to the increased quality of vascular screening. Several imaging techniques like thoracic radiography, echocardiography, magnetic resonance (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) can be used for the diagnosis of such condition, whose first diagnosis is usually incidental. The gold standard for aneurysm evaluation is computed tomography angiography (CTA), which allows precise diameter assessment and accurate preoperative planning. Advancements in imaging techniques, through electrocardiography (ECG)-gated CTA, permit to avoid movement artifacts and have a more precise definition of proximal aortic segments (aortic arch, ascending aorta).The urgent or emergent treatment of thoracic aneurysms is indicated in symptomatic patients and in case of rupture, respectively. The current European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines recommend the elective treatment of thoracic aneurysms with a diameter > 55 mm, since diameters of 55 - 60 mm are associated with a rupture risk of 10 %/year. Lower perioperative morbidity and mortality rates have been demonstrated for endovascular repair in comparison with open surgery. According to the current guidelines, the treatment of choice is endovascular, through the implantation of an aortic stent graft (thoracic endovascular aortic repair, TEVAR), while open surgery is reserved to young patients, fit for open surgery. Hybrid procedures, introduced in 2000, include the debranching of supra aortic vessels and TEVAR and are a well established procedure for the treatment of aneurysms involving the aortic arch. The increasing research and expertise in endovascular surgery lead to the development of complex procedures, like chimney TEVAR, fenestrated and branched TEVAR which allowed to reach proximal landing zone to the ascending aorta.

The role of thoracic endovascular repair in elective, symptomatic and ruptured thoracic aortic diseases.

OBJECTIVES: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has emerged as a safe procedure in the treatment of a wide spectrum of descending thoracic aortic pathologies, with satisfactory results both in elective and urgent settings. We investigated the results of our elective, urgent and emergency TEVAR interventions. METHODS: A single-centre retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients undergoing TEVAR from 2010 to 2016 was performed. Primary end point of the study was early mortality, whereas the secondary end points included major complications according to the urgency of the procedure. The analysis was further conducted comparing symptomatic, asymptomatic and ruptured cases. RESULTS: Two hundred and eight patients were treated with TEVAR between January 2010 and April 2016 (mean age 67 ± 12 years, 142 men, 68.3%). Patients undergoing TEVAR as a first-stage procedure for complex thoraco-abdominal repair were excluded. The indication for treatment was a dissection in most cases (n = 92, 44.2%; acute dissection in 40 cases, 19.2%), followed by thoracic aneurysms (n = 64, 30.8%), penetrating aortic ulcers (n = 37, 17.8%), intramural haematomas (n = 8, 3.8%), traumatic ruptures (n = 3, 1.4%) and other indications (n = 4, 1.8%). One hundred and eight procedures were performed electively and 100 urgently. Forty-three patients were treated on an emergency bas for aortic rupture, 44 urgently for thoracic pain and 13 for acute ischaemic complications of aortic dissection or other indications. Ischaemic complications of dissection included 1 case of mesenteric ischaemia, 3 cases of acute renal failure, 4 cases of limb ischaemia and multiple ischaemic complications in 4 cases. Other causes of urgent TEVAR included 1 patient bleeding from a bronchial artery treated with TEVAR after several embolization attempts. In-hospital mortality was 7.7%, significantly higher in the urgent setting (14% vs 1.9%, P = 0.001). Urgent procedures were also more frequently associated with major adverse clinical events (7.4% vs 26%, P = 0.0003) and specifically with paraplegia (2.8% vs 10%, P = 0.043). Perioperative mortality was significantly higher in the ruptured group compared to the symptomatic group (25.6% vs 2.3%, P = 0.002). When the analysis was conducted to compare the symptomatic and the asymptomatic patients, no differences in terms of perioperative mortality were detected. CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR is an effective treatment strategy in thoracic aortic disease. Though emergency repair of the ruptured thoracic aorta still shows high rates of perioperative mortality and morbidity, symptomatic non-ruptured and asymptomatic patients have comparable early outcomes.

Current evidence on aortic remodeling after endovascular repair.

Anatomical changes after endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are thoroughly studied as they could affect the long-term postoperative outcome. The aim of the present study was to review the literature and summarize the recent data regarding the aortic remodeling and its clinical significance. A continuous aortic neck expansion is observed after EVAR and is more rapid at the first month and during the third postoperative year. This aortic neck dilation is not influenced by the type of proximal stent-graft fixation, is comparable to open surgical aneurysm repair and is most probably related with the natural progression of aneurismal disease. Aortic neck angulation reduces significantly immediately after EVAR and then continues to reduce slowly and gradually. Neck angulations ≥60° have a greater reduction compared to neck angulations <60°. An expansion of the common iliac arteries at the distal landing zone is also observed after EVAR and is more prominent in the first six postoperative months. A postoperative increase of the distance between superior mesenteric artery and iliac bifurcations (aortoiliac elongation) is described and is associated with increased type I endoleaks and reinterventions. The aneurysm sac diameter most frequently reduces after EVAR in absence of an endoleak and this aneurysm sac regression has been associated with the stent-graft type.

Tips and tricks in vascular access for (T)EVAR.

Endovascular repair has become the treatment of choice for thoracic and abdominal aortic pathologies in the last decades, and is associated with excellent results in terms of perioperative, mid- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Access vessels play a central role in these procedures since access-related issues can increase the rates of technical failures and determine clinical complications for the patient. Therefore, accurate preoperative clinical evaluation and review of the preoperative images are mandatory. In this review, we report on the access-related issues that can be encountered during EVAR and TEVAR, and present solutions and strategies to minimize access-related adverse outcomes.

Effect of statins on survival in patients undergoing dialysis access for end-stage renal disease.

The benefit of statin therapy in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease remains uncertain. Randomized trials have questioned the efficacy of the drug in improving outcomes for on-dialysis populations, and many patients with end-stage renal disease are not currently taking statins. This study aimed to investigate the impact of statin use on survival of patients with vascular access performed at a vascular center for chronic dialysis. Consecutive end-stage renal disease patients admitted for vascular access surgery in 2006 to 2013 were reviewed. Information on therapy was retrieved and patients on statins were compared to those who were not on statins. Primary endpoint was 5-year survival. Independent predictors of mortality were assessed with Cox regression analysis adjusting for covariates (ie, age, sex, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cardiac disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, diabetes, and statins). Three hundred fifty-nine patients (230 males; mean age 68.9 ± 13.7 years) receiving 554 vascular accesses were analyzed: 127 (35.4%) were on statins. Use of statins was more frequent in patients with hypertension (89.8% v 81%; P = .034), hyperlipidemia (52.4% v 6.2%; P < .0001), coronary disease (54.1% v 42.6%; P = .043), diabetes (39.4% v 21.6%; P = .001), and obesity (11.6% v 2.0%; P < .0001). Mean follow-up was 35 months. Kaplan-Meier survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 84.4% and 75.9% for patients taking statins and 77.0% and 65.1% for those not taking statins (P = .18). Cox regression analysis selected statins therapy as the only independent negative predictor (odds ratio = 0.55; 95% confidence interval = 0.32-0.95; P = .032) of mortality, while age was an independent positive predictor (odds ratio = 1.05; 95% confidence interval = 1.03-1.08; P < .0001). Vascular access patency was comparable in statin takers and those not taking statins (P = .60). Use of statins might halve the risk of all-cause mortality at 5 years in adult patients with vascular access for chronic dialysis. Statins therapy should be considered in end-stage renal disease populations requiring dialysis access placement.