Endoluminal repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms with use of stent-grafts - A new interventional technique

Purpose: With a series of 31 transluminal stent-graft procedures, we assessed the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of a new stent-graft for the treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Methods: We treated the patients (male; mean age 71 years) with straight or bifurcated nitinol stents covered with woven dacron graft material for infrarenal eccentric saccular AAA (n = 4) or AAA involving the bifurcation and the common iliac arteries (n = 27). The 18-F delivery system was advanced via a surgical arteriotomy and the stent-graft, was placed under fluoroscopic control. Follow-up period ranged from 8 days to 9 months. Results: The implantation of the stent-grafts was technically successful in 30/31 cases. Procedure-related complications were acute hepatic failure due to gastric bleeding in a patient with liver cirrhosis, graft occlusion due to emboli originating hom the left atrium (n = 1), macro-embolisation (n = 3), local haematoma (n = 1) and av-fistula (n = 1) requiring surgery. A post-implantation syndrome with leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive, protein was observed in all patients. Conclusions: Endoluminal repair of infrarenal AAA with use of dacron covered nitinol stent-grafts is feasible, safe and clinically effective. However, careful long-term evaluation is necessary.