Endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic pathology in renal transplant recipients: early and intermediate-term results

Abstract

Endovascular correction of aorta thoracic pathology in renal transplant patients is a challenge. The aim of this study is to review early and intermediate-term results of endovascular repair of thoracic aorta pathology in patients with functioning previous renal transplant. The records of 81 patients submitted to a thoracic endograft between 2003 and 2008 were reviewed. Five patients with six previous renal transplants were submitted to six thoracic endografting. Two were women. The mean age was 55.4 years (range, 43-75 years). There were two patients with type B aortic dissection, one penetrating ulcer, one aneurysm of the aortic arch and one descending thoracic aorta aneurysm. Three patients underwent hybrid procedures: two total supra-aortic transpositions and one partial transposition of visceral trunks. Three patients presented postoperative complications. There were two cases of pneumonia, one acute limb ischemia and a stroke, with an early death. The mean follow-up was 16.2 months (range, 1-40 months). In this period all patients sustained renal function without any related complication. Despite the fact that it is a small series, in our clinical experience, endovascular thoracic aortic surgery can be performed as an alternative to open correction, in high-risk patients with a previous working renal transplant.