Endovascular repair of large intercostal artery patch aneurysm using branch stent-graft in a patient with Loeys–Dietz syndrome

Parallel intercostal artery stenting and exclusion of symptomatic bucket-handle intercostal patch aneurysm

Intercostal patch aneurysms after open thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair represent a challenging pathology, with highly variable patient anatomy and spinal cord ischemia risk. We present a case of a 51-year-old man with a large symptomatic "bucket-handle" loop graft intercostal patch aneurysm, which was treated with endovascular exclusion with concurrent parallel intercostal stent grafting. This case highlights specialized endovascular techniques to treat intercostal patch aneurysms and the necessity of meticulous operative case planning in both open and endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.

Endovascular repair of intercostal and visceral aortic patch aneurysms following open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair

PURPOSE

Reoperative open surgical repair (OSR) of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze outcomes of fenestrated-branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F-BEVAR) for the treatment of intercostal or visceral aortic patch aneurysms after OSR of TAAAs.

METHODS

We reviewed the clinical data and outcomes of consecutive patients treated at 8 academic centers by F-BEVAR for visceral and intercostal aortic patch aneurysms after OSR of TAAAs (2011-2019). All patients had involvement of at least one target vessel requiring incorporation by a fenestration or directional branch. End points were technical success, 30-day and/in-hospital mortality, major adverse events, patient survival, target vessel patency/instability, and freedom from reintervention.

RESULTS

There were 29 patients with a median age of 70 (interquartile range, 63-74) years. Seven patients (24%) had connective tissue disorders. Technical success was 100%. There were no 30-day/in-hospital mortalities. Major adverse events occurred in 5 patients (17%), including estimated blood loss >1 L in 3 patients (10%), acute kidney injury and respiratory failure in 2 patients (7%) each, and transient paraparesis in 1 patient (3%). Median follow-up was 14 (interquartile range, 7-37) months. At 2 years, primary and secondary patency, freedom from target artery instability, freedom from reintervention, and patient survival were 95%, 100%, 83%, 61%, and 96%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

F-BEVAR could be considered as an alternative to reoperative OSR in patients with visceral or intercostal aortic patch aneurysms. This series showed no mortality and a low rate of major adverse events, but a significant need for reintervention.

Endovascular and Hybrid Repair in Patients with Heritable Thoracic Aortic Disease

OBJECTIVE

In individuals with heritable thoracic aortic disease (HTAD), endovascular repair for treatment of aortic aneurysm and dissection may be lifesaving but is associated with increased risk of failure of endovascular repair and adverse outcomes. This study reports our experience with early and late outcomes of endovascular aortic and branch vessel repair in patients with HTAD.

METHODS

A retrospective case series was performed by chart review of individuals with HTAD followed at Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital who underwent endovascular aortic and/or branch vessel repair. Clinical features, imaging characteristics, and short- and long-term outcomes were collected.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients with HTAD (20 male; mean age 45 ± 13 years) underwent thirty-seven endovascular procedures between 2006 and 2020 with mean follow up of 54 ± 41 months. Seven patients underwent two or more separate endovascular procedures. Each procedure was considered separate for data collection and analysis. Underlying conditions included Marfan syndrome (n=16 procedures), Loeys-Dietz syndrome (n=14 procedures), vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (n=3 procedures), and nonsyndromic HTAD (n=4 procedures). Twenty patients (69%) had prior open surgical aortic repair. Indications for endovascular aortic repair (n=31) included urgent repairs of acute complications of aortic dissection (n=10) or aneurysm rupture (n=3), and elective aortic repair (n=18; 10 chronic dissections and 8 chronic aneurysms). Six patients underwent elective endovascular repair of six branch vessel aneurysms or dissections. Six patients underwent hybrid open surgical and endovascular repair. Of the 37 procedures, twenty-five (68%) proximal landing zones were in the native aorta or branch vessel, eleven (30%) were in a surgical graft or elephant trunk and one was in a previously placed endograft. Thirty-six (97%) procedures were technically successful, and none required emergency surgical conversion. Two patients died: one from sepsis and one from presumed late pseudoaneurysm rupture, for a 5% per-procedure mortality rate. Two procedures were complicated by stroke and one patient developed paraparesis. Of the 31 aortic procedures, seven aortic endografts (23%) developed a stent-induced new entry (SINE) discovered with imaging at 20 ± 15 days post-procedure. Seven endografts (23%) developed a Type I endoleak and eight (26%) developed a Type II endoleak. No Type III endoleaks were seen. Within 30 days, two endografts (of 37, 5%) required reintervention. After 30 days, fifteen additional endografts (of 37, 41%) required reintervention. Two patients (of 6, 33%) who underwent hybrid repair required reintervention.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the largest single-center case series examining outcomes of HTAD patients following endovascular repair. Urgent and elective endovascular repairs in patients with HTAD can manage acute and chronic complications of aortic aneurysm and dissection with relatively low risk. However, risk of early and late endoleaks and SINE is high. Close post-procedural surveillance is required, and many individuals will require additional interventions. Hybrid repair shows promise and requires further investigation.

Complete Transfemoral Endovascular Repair with Homemade Steerable Sheath of Intercostal Artery Patch Aneurysm after Open Repair of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm

The aim of this paper is to describe a case of complete transfemoral approach for endovascular treatment of a large intercostal patch aneurysm with custom-made stent-graft in a patient with Loeys-Dietz syndrome and previous multiple aortic operations. Three aortic components were used to exclude a 65-mm intercostal patch aneurysm. Because of the reimplantation site of supra-aortic trunks in a previous open arch repair, we used a complete transfemoral approach with a homemade steerable sheath to deliver all the renovisceral bridging stents through the downward side-branches. No major complications were registered. A 6-month follow-up resulted uneventfully, and an initial shrinkage of the aneurysmal lesion was found. The use of a homemade steerable sheath was safe and effective for catheterization and stenting of all the target vessels through the downward side branches.

Endovascular Treatment of a Ruptured Pseudoaneurysm of the Intercostal Patch after Descending Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Anastomotic pseudoaneurysm and patch aneurysm are life-threatening complications following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTAA) repair. The aortic wall tissue is fragile in patients with Marfan syndrome, who are at high risk of anastomotic pseudoaneurysm and patch aneurysms. We experienced a rare case of ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the intercostal patch after DTAA repair in a patient with Marfan syndrome. A hematoma was separated from the pseudoaneurysm caused by adhesion of the left lung after DTAA repair, which made diagnosis difficult. To prevent type II endoleak and achieve thoracic endovascular aortic repair, we treated the patent intercostal arteries by embolization.

Use of Fenestrated Stent-Grafts for Preservation of Spinal Artery Flow During Endovascular Repair of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Disease

We illustrate the safety and feasibility of the application of fenestrated stent-grafts for the preservation of spinal artery flow during endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) in 2 patients deemed high-risk for spinal cord ischemia (SCI). In one case, an unstented fenestration was used in a 78-year-old male treated for distal stent-graft induced new entry tear. In the other case, a fenestration with a bridging stent-graft was used to revascularize a spinal artery in a 66-year-old female with Marfan disease and island patch aneurysm following open TAAA reconstruction. Both procedures were successful without any postoperative neurologic complication. The unstented fenestration led to a type III endoleak that required the relining of the aortic stent-graft 2 years later. The stented spinal fenestration was patent at a 5-year imaging follow-up.