Endograft Therapy for Diseases of the Descending Thoracic Aorta:Results in 43 High-Risk Patients

Initial results of a thoracic aortic endovascular program: safer in high-risk patients

Results are presented from our single-institutional experience with thoracic endovascular aortic repair to confirm that it is safe in patients with significant comorbidities. A retrospective review of all patients undergoing endovascular or open thoracic aortic repair at our institution since 2002 was performed. Main outcome measures included clinical presentation, demographics, preoperative risk factors, operative details, and clinical outcomes. The endovascular group included 37 patients (22 males), whereas the open group included 19 patients (eight males). Eight patients per group were treated emergently for trauma or rupture (22% and 42%, respectively; p=0.11). Endovascular patients were significantly older with more comorbid conditions (p<0.05). However, the overall perioperative complication rate was similar in the two groups (32.4% and 31.6%, respectively). Postoperative renal failure occurred only in four open patients (21.1% vs. 0%, p < 0.05). Operative time, ventilator days, and total length of stay were also greater for open patients (p<0.05). There was one death in the endovascular group and three in the open group (2.7% and 15.8%, respectively; p=0.07). Endovascular patients had shorter operative time and length of stay, fewer ventilator days and intensive care unit days, and fewer transfusions. Although the endovascular patients were significantly older with more comorbidities, the complication rate was similar to the open group. Also, there was a trend toward lower mortality in the endovascular group (p=0.07). Endovascular repair is the procedure of choice for treating the descending thoracic aorta in high-risk patients even in the emergent setting.

Endovascular repair or medical treatment of acute type B aortic dissection? A comparison

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the outcome of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) to that of medical therapy in patients with acute type B aortic dissection (TBD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From July 1996 to April 2008, 88 patients presenting with acute TBD underwent either TEVAR (group A, n=38) or medical therapy (group B, n=50). Indications for TEVAR were intractable pain, aortic branch compromise resulting in end-organ ischemia, rapid aortic dilatation and rupture. Follow-up was performed postinterventionally, at 3, 6 and 12 months and yearly thereafter and included clinical examinations and computed tomography (CT), as well as aortic diameter measurements and assessment of thrombosis.

RESULTS

Mean follow-up was 33 months in group A and 36 months in group B. The overall mortality rate was 23.7% in group A and 24% in group B, where 4 patients died of late aortic rupture. In group A, complications included 9 endoleaks and 4 retrograde type A dissections, 3 patients were converted to open surgery and 2 needed secondary intervention. None of the patients developed paraplegia. In group B, 4 patients were converted to open surgery and 2 to TEVAR. The maximal aortic diameter increased in both groups. Regarding the extent of thrombosis, our analyses showed slightly better overall results after TEVAR, but they also showed a tendency towards approximation between the two groups during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

TEVAR is a feasible treatment option in acute TBD. However, several serious complications may occur during and after TEVAR and it should therefore be reserved to patients with life-threatening symptoms.

[Type III endoleaks at follow-up of covered descending thoracic aortic stent-grafts: report of 3 patients]

PURPOSE

To describe the imaging work-up and management of type III endoleaks detected after covered stent-graft treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective study of circumstances surrounding the diagnosis, management and outcome type III endoleaks occuring in 3 of 18 patients following covered stent-graft treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms between April 1998 and July 2005. The endoleaks were detected at a mean follow-up of 22 months (19-24 months) after stent-graft placement.

RESULTS

The type III endoleaks were detected on scheduled follow-up CT examinations in asymptomatic patients. Endovascular management was proposed at a mean interval time of 4.4 months (1 week - 11 months) after diagnosis of the endoleak, and was successful in all 3 cases. One patient died 1 month after endovascular repeai of the leak, 1 patient required surgical management at 14 months for new recurrence, and 1 patient had a favorable outcome at 2 months.

CONCLUSION

Follow-up of patients after covered stent-graft treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms is required. Prompt endovascular repair of delayed complications may be possible, but surgical management may become necessary.

Thoracic aortic stent-graft devices: problems, failure modes, and applicability

Optimal treatment strategies for pathologies of the descending thoracic aorta are still controversial. Open surgery is complex, while endovascular devices allow nonsurgical access to the thoracic aorta. Endografts can be inserted via a peripheral artery while maintaining aortic blood flow without any need for clamping. Both short- and mid-term outcomes after endografting thoracic aneurysm and type B aortic dissection are encouraging, with significantly lower morbidity and early mortality compared with open surgery. However, despite emerging popularity and growing interest as an alternative to surgery, endograft design and manufacturing have not kept pace with growing clinical ambition. Major challenges associated with endovascular procedures using the current generation of endografts range from the relative rigidity and size of the delivery system to the failure of thoracic endografts to conform snugly to the anatomy of the aortic arch. Nonconformity of grafts may lead to graft instability, endoleak, and procedural failure. Current delivery systems are potentially traumatizing and, at times, too inflexible to track through tortuous, calcified vessels, and often require surgical exposure of the access vessel. Although efforts have been made by the industry to improve conformability and fixation in the aortic arch, given the spiraling movement of the thoracic aorta with each ventricular contraction, much work needs to be done on miniaturization and creation of disease-specific devices. The aim of this work is to give an overview on thoracic aortic stent-graft devices with focus on problems, failure modes and potential improvements.

Endovascular Repair of Ruptured Saccular Aneurysms of the Descending Thoracic Aorta

Open repair of ruptured aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) is associated with early mortality rates of 20%-60% and severe morbidity rates exceeding 40%. The present report describes three octogenarian patients and one sexagenarian patient at poor surgical risk admitted with acutely ruptured saccular DTA aneurysms (two of four were anastomotic) unrelated to trauma or infection who underwent successful endovascular therapy, which involved the use of aortic endovascular cuffs in three cases. Mean intensive care unit and total hospital stay durations were 1.75 days (range, 1-4 d) and 6 days (range, 3-13 d), respectively. At 30 days, all patients were alive and free of repeat intervention, with aneurysm exclusion achieved in all cases but one, which featured a marginal type II endoleak. These data support endovascular therapy for ruptured saccular DTA aneurysms enabling short-term outcomes that otherwise would have been unrealistic.

Problems Encountered during and after Stent-Graft Treatment of Aortic Dissection

PURPOSE

The authors report their experiences with the problems encountered during and after stent-graft placement in patients with aortic dissections.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between July 1994 and December 2003, stent-graft placement was performed in 60 patients with aortic dissections, 9 patients with Stanford type A dissection and 51 patients with type B. Ten patients had acute dissection and 50 patients had chronic dissection. Each patient was followed for 12 to 107 months (mean, 33 mo). All cases were retrospectively reviewed for any problem that occurred during and after the procedure.

RESULTS

During the procedure, there were two cases (3%) of stent-graft migration, one case (2%) of stent-graft torsion, two cases (3%) of stent-graft folding due to oversizing, three cases (5%) of persistent thoracic false lumen flow by the appearance of a hidden intimal tear, one case (2%) of new intimal tear that resulted in retrograde type A dissection, and 12 cases (20%) of type I endoleaks on aortograms taken immediately after the procedure. During the follow-up period, one case (2%) of transient cerebral ischemia, six cases (10%) of persistent type I endoleaks, two cases (3%) of type II endoleaks through the intercostal artery, four cases (7%) with progressive dilatation of abdominal false lumen, six cases (10%) of new intimal tears which resulted in saccular aneurysms (n=4) or new dissections (n=2) on either or both ends of the stent-graft, and two cases (3%) of mechanical failure were observed. Overall, five patients (8%) required surgical conversion, and there were no cases of procedure-related mortality.

CONCLUSION

Various problems can occur during and after stent-graft placement in aortic dissection. The thorough evaluation of preoperative imaging and close follow-up are mandatory to optimize the management of such problems.

Endovascular therapies for noncoronary atherosclerosis in the elderly: supra-aortic vessels and thoracoabdominal aorta lesions

Due to the aging of the population and the fact that people are living longer, there are increasing numbers of older patients with noncoronary atherosclerosis. Carotid and subclavian arteries are often the first involved vessels in atherosclerosis, and thoracoabdominal aortic involvement is becoming even more frequent. New techniques, such as intra-arterial thrombolysis, protection and thrombo-aspiration devices, and new stent graft designs are becoming available for percutaneous treatment of atherosclerosis in such vessels. In this review, the authors offer geriatric cardiologists an overview and an update of the most recent advances in techniques and results in the field of interventional treatments of atherosclerosis of supra-aortic vessels and thoracoabdominal aorta in the elderly.

Current status of thoracic aortic endograft repair

The advent and success of endovascular repair of abdominal aneurysms had led to the development of catheter-based techniques to treat thoracic aortic pathology. Such diseases, including thoracic aortic aneurysms, acute and chronic type B dissections,penetrating aortic ulcers, and traumatic aortic transection, challenge surgeons to perform complex operative repairs in high-risk patients. The minimally invasive nature of thoracic endografting may provide an attractive alternative therapy especially in patients deemed unfit for thoracotomy. A worldwide review of thoracic endografting demonstrates encouraging short- and midterm outcomes with significant reductions in morbidity and early mortality.Long-term surveillance will be crucial to discover complications unique to thoracic endovascular interventions and to determine which patients are appropriate candidates for stent-graft therapy.