Aortic neck dilation is not associated with adverse outcomes after fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE

Long-term outcomes after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) are threatened by aortic neck dilation (AND), graft migration, and subsequent endoleak development. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of AND and the occurrence of endoleaks after fenestrated EVAR of juxtarenal aneurysms with physician-modified endovascular grafts (PMEGs).

METHODS

The study included 77 patients presenting with asymptomatic and ruptured juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms treated with PMEGs who received radiologic follow-up. Analysis of computed tomography images took place on a three-dimensional workstation (TeraRecon, San Mateo, Calif). Aortic neck diameter was measured before and after EVAR at the lowest patent renal artery outer wall to outer wall. Significant AND was defined as >3-mm increase between baseline and follow-up, and sac regression >5 mm was considered significant. The patient's 1-month initial postoperative computed tomography measurement was considered baseline. The rate of AND was measured by comparing the baseline measurement with measurements at 6 months, 12 months, and annually thereafter up to 4 years.

RESULTS

In this cohort of patients, 75% were men with a mean age of 74 ± 7.9 years. Median preoperative aneurysm size was 62 (57-73) mm, and median follow-up was 12 (3.5-30) months. Mean endograft oversizing was 17% ± 12.5%, and mean seal zone length was 41 ± 11 mm. At 1-year follow-up, the median aortic neck increase was 1.7 (0-3) mm. Maximum aneurysm size decreased dramatically during the first postoperative year, with significant sac regression in 65% of the patients. Aortic neck diameter at 1 year did correlate positively with the percentage of device oversizing. No other correlations were found. During the 4-year follow-up, there were no cases of type IA endoleaks.

CONCLUSIONS

AND does not influence outcome after endovascular repair of juxtarenal aneurysms using PMEGs. These midterm results support the applicability of PMEGs in juxtarenal aneurysm repair.