Endograft Limb Research Articles

Aortoiliac endograft-enteric fistula due to an ingested toothpick

Foreign body ingestion is not uncommon, but in most patients the object passes without sequelae. In very few patients, the ingested foreign objects may perforate the gastrointestinal tract, causing potentially life-threatening complications. Pointed ingested objects such as toothpicks are the most common. Vascular perforation due to toothpick ingestion has rarely been reported. We present a patient with lower gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to simultaneous perforation of the sigmoid colon and the right iliac limb of an aortobiiliac endograft by an ingested toothpick. This arterioenteric fistula was treated in two stages. First as a bridging operation, a stent graft was inserted into the ipsilateral limb of the previous aortoiliac endograft to control the bleeding. Second, the aortoiliac endograft was removed, the aorta was oversewn, and an extra-anatomic axillobifemoral bypass restored the flow to the lower limbs. The colon perforation was treated with a proximal temporary loop colostomy. To our knowledge, this the first case of aortoiliac endograft-enteric fistula after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair caused by this extraordinary mechanism.

Pull-Down Technique to Allow Complete Endovascular Relining of Failed AAA Vanguard Endografts with Excluder Bifurcated Endografts

Endovascular replacement of failed Vanguard endoprosthesis with a newly inserted bifurcated Excluder endograft in 6 selected patients over a 10-year period is reported. Six male patients were treated by secondary EVAR procedures for endograft failure (type I and/or III endoleaks caused by endograft disintegration and/or migration). All failed endografts (1 tube, 5 bifurcated) were Vanguard prostheses. Technically, a new bifurcated Excluder endograft was placed within the old failing Vanguard endograft. All reinterventions were performed under local anesthesia supplemented by systemic analgesia/sedation. In 3 patients, insertion of the new Excluder endograft was possible without any additional technical measure as the failing Vanguard endograft trunk had migrated distally. In another 3 patients, the failed Vanguard endograft trunk was still in place. In these patients, the Vanguard main body was pulled caudally with a transfemoral cross-over guide wire in order to gain sufficient length to allow the short limb of the Excluder endograft to open within the trunk of the failed Vanguard endoprosthesis. This guide wire was introduced through a second femoral 5F in the main access and exeteriorized with a snare through the contralateral 12 Fr sheath. The main body and short limb of the Excluder was then deployed whilst pulling on the cross-over wire. Six patients initially treated by a Vanguard endograft underwent complete relining with a newly inserted Excluder bifurcated stentgraft. The mean interval from the first EVAR procedure to the described replacement procedure was 75+/-20.2 months (range: 53-109). The new bifurcated Excluder endografts were successfully deployed in all patients (technical success: 100%). Primary sealing (defined as absence of endoleaks type I, III or IV in the postoperative contrast enhanced CT scan) was achieved in 6 of the 6 patients. There was no operative mortality. No further endovascular or open treatment was needed in the other 5 patients. During the mean follow-up period of 26+/-20.1 months (range 2.5-50 months), 2 patients died from unrelated causes. Secondary endovascular replacement of failed Vanguard endografts with a bifurcated Excluder endograft proved to be feasible and safe with no 30-day mortality. Technical detail requires traction on a cross-over wire to pull the old graft caudally and create enough space for the new bifurcated graft to be deployed.

Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms in high-surgical-risk patients

Background: Following the publication of a prospective randomized trial (Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Trial 2 - EVAR2) that questioned the benefits of endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in high-surgical-risk patients, we decided to analyze our initial and long-term results with endovascular AAA repair in this patient population. Objective: To evaluate the operative mortality, long-term survival, frequency of secondary operations, outcome of the aneurysm sac, primary and secondary patency rates, and rupture rate after aortic stent-graft placement in high-surgical-risk patients. Methods: From April 2002 to February 2008, 40 high-surgical and anesthetic risk patients with an AAA managed by a bifurcated aortic endograft were entered in a prospective registry. Data concerning diagnosis, operative risk, treatment and follow-up were analyzed in all patients Results: Twenty-four Excluder® and 16 Zenith® stent-grafts were successfully implanted. Thirty patients (75%) were classed ASA III and 10 (25%) were ASA IV. Mean aneurysm diameter was 64 mm. Operative mortality was 2.5%. Two patients required reintervention during the mean follow-up of 28.5 months. Survival rate at 3 years was 95%. There were four endoleaks, one case of endotension, and one endograft limb occlusion. Primary and secondary patency rates at 3 years were 97.5 and 100%, respectively. There were no ruptures. Conclusions: Initial and long-term results with endovascular treatment of AAA in high-surgical-risk patients were satisfactory, and appear to justify such approach for this patient population.

Open vs. endovascular repair of isolated iliac artery aneurysms: A 12-year experience

To examine contemporary operative techniques and outcomes for repair of isolated iliac artery aneurysms. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients who underwent repair of an isolated iliac artery aneurysm from February 1995 to June 2007. Mycotic aneurysms and patients with concurrent infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms greater than 3.5 cm in diameter were excluded from analysis. Patients with prior abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were not excluded. Fifty-six patients (96% male; mean age, 72 +/- 10 years) had either open (n = 24) or endovascular (n = 32) repair with median follow-up of 36 months. Seven patients were treated for rupture, six with open repair, and one with an endograft. Average aneurysm size for patients in the open and endovascular repair cohorts was 4.5 +/- 2.4 cm and 4.0 +/- 1.1 cm, respectively (P = .35). One episode of endograft limb thrombosis at five months was treated with catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy and stent placement. Thirty-day mortality for patients undergoing elective and emergent open repair was 1/18 (6%) and 1/6 (17%), respectively. There was no 30-day mortality for the endovascular group. Median length of stay was 10.5 days in the open group and one day in the endovascular elective group (P < .01). There was no mid-term aneurysm-related mortality in either group. Primary patency rates were similar between the open and endovascular groups at five years (100% vs. 96%, P = .07). Aneurysm sac diameter decreased in 67% (21/28) of patients that underwent endovascular repair. One patient with a Type III endoleak required relining of the endograft with a second endograft at 72 months. These data demonstrate that in appropriately selected patients, endovascular repair of isolated iliac artery aneurysms is a safe, effective alternative to open repair with mid-term follow-up. Endovascular repair is associated with a significantly reduced hospital length of stay and may be associated with decreased need for transfusion and mortality when compared with open repair.

Limb Occlusion after Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms with Supported Endografts

To assess the time period of onset, etiology, and outcomes of limb occlusion after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms with supported endografts. From 1998 to 2007, 288 patients underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to exclude an infrarenal aortic aneurysm. In the majority of patients, a Zenith stent-graft (n = 187) or Excluder stent-graft (n = 71) was implanted. Nine patients presented with limb occlusion during follow-up. All occluded stent-grafts were modular (n = 8) or aortomonoiliac (n = 1) Zenith endoprostheses. One additional patient who was previously treated with a Zenith aortomonoiliac stent-graft was referred to our institution for further treatment of stent-graft thrombosis. The initial clinical presentations were acute ischemia (n = 5), buttock claudication (n = 3), and incidental findings on follow-up imaging (n = 2). Occlusion occurred within the first month after EVAR (n = 5), between the first and second month after EVAR (n = 2), 10 months after EVAR (n = 1), and 4-5 years after EVAR (n = 2). Underlying causes of occlusion were kinking of the stent-graft (n = 5), small-diameter endograft limb with extension to the external iliac artery (n = 3), and migration and dislocation of an endograft limb (n = 2). Treatment consisted of catheter-directed thrombolysis and stent placement (n = 3), surgical thrombectomy or bypass operation (n = 5), and expectant management (n = 2). Outcome of all revascularization procedures showed immediate clinical success in all patients and no late recurrent limb ischemia at a mean follow-up of 38.9 months. Limb occlusion of aortic stent-grafts mostly occurs shortly after EVAR and can be related to underlying kinking of the metallic skeleton, extension of the stent-graft into the external iliac artery, or migration and dislocation of an endograft limb. Satisfactory and durable clinical outcomes can be obtained after appropriate revascularization.

Technical Tips for Endovascular Repair of Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms

Isolated common iliac artery aneurysms are rare, comprising <2% of all aneurysm disease. These aneurysms present as either isolated disease, .03% of the population, or, in conjunction with abdominal aortic aneurysm, in approximately 20% to 25% of such cases. Common iliac artery aneurysms are defined as any localized dilatation of the common iliac artery >1.5 cm in diameter. Elective repair for isolated common iliac artery aneurysms is generally not undertaken for aneurysms <3 cm in diameter unless they are part of an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Most common iliac artery aneurysms are found incidentally during abdominal/pelvic diagnostic imaging studies or at the time of pelvic or abdominal surgery. As with abdominal aortic aneurysms, endovascular repair of common iliac artery aneurysms follows techniques similar to those used for endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Management includes aneurysm exclusion with an endograft, which seals at sites within the proximal and distal common iliac artery and may involve coil occlusion of the hypogastric artery with extension of the reconstruction into the proximal external iliac artery, or use a "bell-bottom" endograft limb placed at the common iliac bifurcation. Technical tips for successful outcome are described here, and all US Food and Drug Administration approved endografts have been used for repair. There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes that correlated with device or repair techniques used for management of common iliac artery aneurysms. Mid-term 54-month outcome has been excellent, with no common iliac artery ruptures or aneurysm-related deaths and the need for secondary interventions was gratifyingly small.

Endovascular Repair of a Traumatic Aortic Transection in a Pediatric Patient

Traumatic aortic rupture due to blunt trauma in the pediatric population is rare. The management of this unusual injury has largely been extrapolated from the adult literature and is evolving. Open surgical repair is the accepted treatment; however, endograft repair is a promising alternative, which can serve as a definitive or bridging technique in select patients who are high-risk surgical candidates. The authors report the successful deployment of an endograft limb to correct a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the aorta in a high-risk pediatric patient.

The Association Between a Surgeon’s Learning Curve With Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair and Previous Institutional Experience

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether an institution's prior endovascular experience influenced the learning curve of subsequent surgeons. A prospective analysis of the initial 70 endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) cases attempted by an individual surgeon was performed with the primary outcome variable being achievement and 30-day maintenance of initial clinical success. Along with standard statistical analyses, the cumulative sum failure method (CUSUM) was used to analyze the learning curve, with a predetermined acceptable failure rate of 10%. Seventy elective EVAR cases were performed by this surgeon during a 4-year period (2000-2004) (mean age, 73.7 -/+ 5.4 years; mean aneurysm diameter 63.3 -/+ 7.2 mm). Initial clinical success was achieved in 68 of 70 cases (97%), which differed significantly with that of our initial surgeon (88.5%, P = .01). Causes of failure in the present series included 1 early mortality (1.4%) and 1 case of conversion to open repair with no instances of type I endoleak or endograft limb thrombosis. Both surgeons' cases were plotted sequentially with CUSUM curves revealing a significantly shorter learning curve for the second surgeon. Optimal results were achieved following 10 to 20 EVAR cases, as opposed to 60 cases in the initial series. Such an analysis confirms that as an institution's experience with EVAR increases, an individual surgeon's learning curve shortens considerably.

Endovascular conversion with femorofemoral bypass as a treatment of endotension and aneurysm sac enlargement

We report a case of a patient treated with a Gore Excluder endograft for AAA in November 2003 with subsequent aneurysm sac enlargement in the absence of an identified endoleak. The patient had a Type I endoleak treated with a Palmaz stent at the neck and later developed a Type II endoleak treated with translumbar coil embolization. This was successful with absence of pressure in the sac after the procedure and stable aneurysm size over the next nine months. Surveillance of the patient with both CT and ultrasound then revealed an increase in the aortic sac diameter in the absence of endoleak. A Cook Zenith converter was used to reline this PTFE endograft. Subsequently, imaging showed aneurysm sac shrinkage. This is a report of endotension with aneurysm expansion following Gore Excluder placement which was treated successfully with a dacron endograft.

Evaluation of Thrombogenicity by Indium-111 Platelet Scintigraphy in Endografting for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Obstruction of the endograft limb by thrombosis has often been reported and may cause fatal complications such as leg necrosis or myonephropathic metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate endograft antithrombogenicity by indium-111 platelet scintigraphy. Seventeen patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms were treated by endografting. Thirteen patients were treated with conventional open surgery using an artificial graft. The endograft was constructed from a self-expanding Z-shaped stent and woven polyester fabric. Autologous platelets labeled with indium-111 were injected at 2 weeks postoperatively. At 24 hours and 72 hours postinjection, the ratio of scintillation count of the endograft or graft to that of the native artery was calculated to assess platelet deposition. The normalization ratio was calculated as follows: (scintillation count per pixel of endograft or graft/circumference)/(scintillation count per pixel of the native femoral artery). Platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin were measured to evaluate the systemic platelets activity at 2 weeks postoperatively. There was no significant difference in platelet counts or labeling efficiency between the groups. The ratio was significantly higher in the endografting group than in the open surgery group at 72 hours postinjection (2.5-0.7 vs 3.9-1.1, P<.001). There was no significant difference in platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin between the groups. Although there was no difference in systemic platelet activity, endografting was associated with lower antithrombogenicity. It remains unclear whether lower antithrombogenicity causes thromboembolism as a complication of the procedure. The authors recommend the administration of antiplatelet drugs to prevent endograft obstruction in patients with very narrow iliac arteries.

Adjunctive primary stenting of Zenith endograft limbs during endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Implications for limb patency

Endograft limb occlusion is an infrequent but serious complication of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The insertion of additional stents within the endograft limb may prevent future occlusion. This study evaluates limb patency with and without adjunctive stenting of endograft limbs at the time of endovascular AAA repair. We performed a retrospective review of 248 patients who underwent endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with the Zenith AAA endovascular graft between 1999 and 2004. Among these patients, two groups were identified: 64 patients with adjunctive stents placed in 85 limbs and 184 patients without additional bare stent placement in endograft limbs at the time of endovascular AAA repair. Women comprised 23% of stented and 11% of unstented patients (P = .02). The mean length of follow-up in the stented and unstented groups was 2.0 years. There were 13 instances of limb thrombosis in 13 patients (5.2% of patients, 2.7% of limbs), all in the unstented group. No limb occlusions occurred in the presence of adjunctive bare metal stents. Seventy-three percent of the occlusions occurred < or = 6 months of endovascular AAA repair. Two patients (15%) had no symptoms of lower-extremity ischemia despite graft limb occlusion and did not undergo intervention. The others underwent thrombectomy (n = 2), thrombectomy with bare stent placement (n = 3), femoral-femoral bypass (n = 4), thrombolysis (n = 1), and thrombolysis with bare stent placement (n = 1). Of the seven who underwent thrombectomy or thrombolysis, three had no additional stents placed at the secondary procedure, and two of these three went on to rethrombose. By life-table analysis, primary patency at 3 years in the stented and nonstented limbs was 100% +/- 0% and 94% +/- 3%, respectively (P = .05). The intraoperative insertion of additional bare metal stents appeared to eliminate the risk of thrombosis and was without complication. Of the 85 stented limbs in this series, not one occluded. The overall rate of limb thrombosis was low, with most limb occlusions occurring < or = 6 months of stent-graft insertion, and would probably have been even lower had we been able to identify all high-risk cases for prophylactic adjunctive stenting. Limb occlusion denotes an underlying problem with the graft, which if left untreated after thrombectomy or thrombolysis will lead to rethrombosis. Postoperative imaging was of little value in detecting impending limb occlusion. Based on these findings, we believe one should identify and stent any limbs that appear to be at risk for thrombosis, but this study lacks the data to predict which limbs need stenting.

Concomitant unilateral internal iliac artery embolization and endovascular infrarenal aortic aneurysm repair

Endograft limb extension to the external iliac artery with embolization of an internal iliac artery (IIA) may be necessary in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) extending to the common iliac artery to prevent endoleak during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). Coil embolization of the IIA can be performed at the same operative setting as EVAR or, alternatively, as a staged procedure. Most interventionalists favor the latter approach to avoid excessive contrast material and prolonged operative time. We investigated the clinical outcome of concomitant vs staged unilateral IIA embolization in the setting of EVAR. Vascular surgeons at our institution treated 24 patients with infrarenal EVAR and unilateral coil embolization of the IIA from October 1, 2000 to June 30, 2005. All patients had normal renal function. The details of the operative procedure and perioperative complications were compared in patients undergoing concomitant vs staged procedures. Follow up was 1 to 40 months (average, 11 months). Among the 24, 16 underwent concomitant unilateral IIA embolization in the setting of EVAR and eight patients underwent the staged procedure. Average duration of operative time (298 vs 284 minutes), amount of intravenous contrast (215 mL vs 164 mL), and preoperative (1.12 vs 1.26 mg/dL), and postoperative (1.15 v. 1.31 mg/dl) creatinine levels were similar in the concomitant vs staged group, respectively (P > .05 for all factors). More sensitive markers of renal insufficiency such as creatinine clearance were not measured. In the concomitant group, 25% (4/16) of patients reported significant symptoms of buttock claudication ipsilateral to the embolized IIA, which resolved after a mean of 8.8 months (range, 1 to 15 months) vs no cases (0/8) in the staged group (P = .02048). One patient in the staged group developed ischemic colitis, which was treated conservatively. Coil embolizations that were performed as staged procedures were all done on an outpatient basis. All 24 patients were admitted the day of the EVAR and were discharged the next day, except one patient in the concomitant group was discharged the second day after the procedure, and one patient in the staged group was discharged 7 days after the procedure. Despite concern of prolonged operative time and the amount of contrast needed to perform concomitant IIA embolization and EVAR, our results showed that in patients with normal renal function, concomitant unilateral IIA embolization in the setting of EVAR was safe and effective and associated with shorter hospitalization compared with staged procedures. The disadvantage of a concomitant procedure is an increased likelihood of transient buttock claudication, but the small number of patients in this series prohibits definite conclusions about this complication. The concomitant procedure may be preferable for infirm patients with normal renal function who would be greatly inconvenienced by two procedures.

Aneurysm Sac Re-Expansion After Thrombolysis

To present a case of delayed abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) re-expansion after thrombolysis for endograft limb occlusion. A 68-year-old man underwent AAA exclusion with an AneuRx stent-graft in 1999. Five years later, he developed right limb thrombosis of the endograft. He underwent right limb thrombolysis and AngioJet thrombectomy. The patient experienced abdominal and back pain during the procedure, and the aneurysm sac, which had remained reduced in size for several years, acutely re-expanded. The patient was managed conservatively. The fluid that accumulated in the sac was reabsorbed, and the AAA returned to its previous dimensions at 1-month follow-up. Symptomatic re-expansion of the aneurysm sac after AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy may occur when the graft is stripped of neointima by the "power-pulse" spray of lytic agent, allowing serum to seep into the sac. Based on this experience, we advise caution when delivering thrombolytics using the AngioJet "power-pulse" spray mode in patients with a thrombosed stent-graft.

Initial Management and Outcome of Aortic Endograft Limb Occlusion

Initial Management and Outcome of Aortic Endograft Limb Occlusion

Role of Intraoperative Completion Duplex Scan for Diagnosis of Iatrogenic Injuries of the Common Femoral Artery (CFA) and External Iliac Artery (EIA) during Endograft Placement

Objective To assess whether the femoral artery entry site could cause early endograft limb occlusion complication, we prospectively evaluated the ipsilateral common femoral artery (CFA) with intraoperative duplex scans (IDS). Methods Forty-seven patients underwent 41 abdominal aortic and 8 common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysms repair with endografts. All procedures were performed via open exposure of the CFA. All patients underwent IDS of the CFA and distal external iliac artery after repair of the arteriotomies. Results Overall, there were 91 arteries assessed with IDS. Overall incidence of significant lesions requiring repair was 11 of 91 (12%). In 10 arteries (11%) we documented intimal flaps causing severe (&gt;80%) stenoses that required repair. One more patient (1%) had no defects at the repair site, but low CFA peak systolic velocity with ratio 2:1 as compared with the contralateral CFA. Intraoperative abdominal duplex scan revealed a severe stenosis in the ipsilateral CIA that was not observed on the completion arteriogram. In addition, 13 (14%) nonsignificant flaps were visualized. No limb thromboses were noted in this group of patients on follow-up examinations. Conclusions IDS is helpful in detecting clinically unsuspected technical defects of the CFA. Timely diagnosis and repair of these defects may improve early patency of endograft limbs.

Initial experience with endovascular aortic aneurysm repair without cardiologists or radiologists--do vascular surgeons really need them?

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been predominantly accomplished by teams of multidisciplinary interventionalists, frequently under the primary direction of cardiologists and radiologists. The purpose of this paper was to examine the feasibility and safety of an initial experience of EVARs performed by vascular surgeons at a single institution without other interventionalists. The authors reviewed the first 50 EVARs performed solely by vascular surgeons at our hospital, which we believed represented a fair and sizable enough learning curve for this new procedure. The operations were performed in an endovascular operating room and the surgeons had prior endovascular experience. The EVAR protocol included preoperative abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans and aortograms, same-day admissions, epidural anesthesia, transfer to the ward the day of surgery, and discharge the first postoperative day. CT scans were performed on postoperative day 1 and then annually, unless duplex ultrasound (DU) suggested an endoleak. DU was performed 1 week postoperatively, every 3 months for the first year, and then every 6 months thereafter. Of the first 23 patients, 3 required immediate conversion to open repair because of device malfunction (all in a Phase III FDA trial) and 1 underwent conversion 3 weeks after initial graft placement during treatment of a failing endograft limb as diagnosed by duplex ultrasonography. None of the next 27 cases required conversion. In 2 (4%) patients, graft limb occlusions occurred postoperatively and were treated with femorofemoral crossover grafts. There were 5 (10%) endoleaks: 2 were treated endovascularly, 1 closed spontaneously, and 2 were followed. Several advanced adjunctive endovascular procedures were performed concomitantly during EVAR including internal iliac artery coil embolization using aortic crossover catheters in 16% (8/50) of patients, proximal or distal extension cuff placement in 16% (8/50), and graft limb stenting in 50% (25/50). The average length of stay for patients who underwent uncomplicated aortic stent grafts was 1.9 days (range, 1-4 days) compared to 2.3 days for all patients (range 1-13 days). In no case were other interventionalists necessary for intraoperative assistance. These results of EVAR performed solely by vascular surgeons are comparable to reports by multidisciplinary teams and support the premise that vascular surgeons with endovascular skills have the knowledge and capability to begin performing EVAR independently of other specialists.

Initial management and outcome of aortic endograft limb occlusion

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in outcome related to initial management of aortic endograft limb occlusion (ELO). During a 7-year period, 823 endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVARs) resulted in 25 ELOs in 22 patients. The initial management and outcome of these ELOs were reviewed. Median follow-up after ELO was 24.2 +/- 16.8 months. Initial EVARs included both unsupported unibody (n = 5) and supported modular (n = 17) devices. ELO was significantly more common in the unsupported unibody graft design (P <.024) and with extension of the graft limb to the external iliac artery (P <.001). ELO was managed with an endovascular approach (EVA), including some combination of mechanical thrombectomy (n = 8), angioplasty with or without stenting (n = 8), and thrombolysis (n = 2) in 12 patients and bypass procedures (femoral-femoral bypass, n = 11; axillofemoral bypass, n = 1; and aortofemoral bypass, n = 1) in 13. At 12-month follow-up, freedom from secondary procedures with EVA was 80.2 +/- 17.7% versus 53.2 +/-17.1% with extra-anatomic bypass (EB) (P = NS). Secondary patency was 100% with EVA and 80.6 +/- 14.4% with EB (P = NS). Of the 12 EVAs, there was 1 (8.3%) perioperative mortality with EVA and none with EB. EB failure was directly attributed to donor limb occlusion in 4 of 6 EVAs (67%), and when this occurred it resulted in bilateral lower extremity ischemia. Amputation was required in 2 of 12 (16.7%) EBs versus none of the 12 EVAs (P = NS). EVA never resulted in graft dislodgement or endoleak but did identify an underlying treatable cause in 8 of 12 (67%). Both EVA and EB are acceptable management strategies for ELO. The potential risk of graft dislodgement was not observed with an EVA. If EB is employed, assessment of the donor limb and treatment of any underlying lesions is advisable in an attempt to minimize future donor limb occlusion.

Aortic endograft thrombosis after colorectal surgery in lithotomy position

Aortic endograft limb occlusion is a serious complication after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. We describe a yet unreported cause of endograft limb occlusion, the lithotomy position. Two patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and colorectal cancer underwent an initial endovascular repair followed by cancer resection in the lithotomy position. Aortic endograft limb occlusion occurred in both patients immediately after the cancer operation. Percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy was performed successfully in both patients. Pelvic surgery requiring the lithotomy position should be performed with caution in patients with aortic endografts, because it can result in endograft occlusion.

The Vanguard Endovascular Stent-graft: Mid-term Results from a Single Centre

Purpose. Despite initial enthusiasm for endovascular aortic repair, few descriptions of longer-term follow-up of any endovascular device have been published. This paper represents the experience of a single centre with the Vanguard device over a 5-year period.Methods. Fifty-five patients with a median age of 71 years (range 45–87 years) and aneurysm diameter of 59 mm (45–84 mm) received a bifurcated Vanguard stent-graft between December 1995 and July 1999. Follow-up was according to the Eurostar criteria (clinical assessment, plain film radiography and computed tomography) at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months and then annually thereafter.Results. All primary stent deployments were successful. Median duration of surgery was 120 min (70–360 min). Median post-operative stay was 3 days (1–19 days) with a peri-operative mortality of 5.5%. In the follow-up period (median 40 months, range 6–64 months) there was one aneurysm associated death, and 14 deaths due to other causes. There have been three device migrations, 12 occluded graft limbs, four type II endoleaks and nine type III endoleaks. At 48 months, this has resulted in a survival rate of 67%, an endoleak free survival of 81% and intervention free survival of 59% (Kaplan–Meier).Conclusion. Medium term results with the Vanguard device appear to be at least equivalent to open repair with regard to morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, several delayed complications appear to be related to endograft limb distortion. Important lessons have been learnt in relation to the deployment of bifurcated endografts to reduce the incidence of secondary limb related problems.

Supported Endograft Limb Occlusion Likely Occurring Secondary to Hip Arthroplasty

<b>Supported Endograft Limb Occlusion Likely Occurring Secondary to Hip Arthroplasty</b>