Ciro Ferrer

Contemporary comparison of aortic arch repair by endovascular and open surgical reconstructions

OBJECTIVE This study analyzed total aortic arch reconstruction in a contemporary comparison of current open and endovascular repair. METHODS Endovascular (group 1) and open arch procedures (group 2) performed during 2007 to 2013 were entered in a prospective database and retrospectively analyzed. Endovascular repair (proximal landing zones 0-1), with or without a hybrid adjunct, was selected for patients with a high comorbidity profile and fit anatomy. Operations involving coverage of left subclavian artery only (zone 2 proximal landing: n = 41) and open hemiarch replacement (n = 434) were excluded. Early and midterm mortality and major complications were assessed. RESULTS Overall, 100 (78 men; mean age, 68 years) consecutive procedures were analyzed: 29 patients in group 2 and 71 in group 1. Seven group 1 patients were treated with branched or chimney stent graft, and 64 with partial or total debranching and straight stent graft. The 29 patients in group 2 were younger (mean age, 61.9 vs 70.3; P = .005), more frequently females (48.2% vs 11.3; P < .001) with less cardiac (6.9% vs 38.2%; P = .001), hypertensive (58.5% vs 88.4%; P = .002), and peripheral artery (0% vs 16.2%; P = .031) disease. At 30 days, there were six deaths in group 1 and four in group 2 (8.5% vs 13.8%; odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-6.66; P = .47), and four strokes in group 1 and one in group 2 (odds ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-5.59; P = 1). Spinal cord ischemia occurred in two group 1 patients and in no group 2 patients. Three retrograde dissections (1 fatal) were detected in group 1. During a mean follow-up of 26.2 months, two type I endoleaks and three reinterventions were recorded in group 1 (all for persistent endoleak), and one reintervention was performed in group 2. According to Kaplan Meier estimates, survival at 4 years was 79.8% in group 1 and 69.8% in group 2 (P = .62), and freedom from late reintervention was 94.6% and 95.5%, respectively (P = .82). CONCLUSIONS Despite the older age and a higher comorbidity profile in patients with challenging aortic arch disease suitable and selected for endovascular arch repair, no significant differences were detected in perioperative and 4-year outcomes compared with the younger patients undergoing open arch total repair. An endovascular approach might also be a valid alternative to open surgery in average-risk patients with aortic arch diseases requiring 0 to 1 landing zones, when morphologically feasible. However, larger concurrent comparison and longer follow-up are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Secondary Procedures Following Iliac Branch Device Treatment of Aneurysms Involving the Iliac Bifurcation: The pELVIS Registry:

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and reasons for secondary procedures in patients treated with iliac branch devices (IBDs) for isolated iliac aneurysm or aortoiliac aneurysms involving the iliac bifurcation. Methods: Between January 2005 and December 2015, 575 surgical-high-risk patients (mean age 72.0±8.4 years; 558 men) with isolated iliac aneurysms (n=79) or aortoiliac aneurysms involving the iliac bifurcation (n=496) were treated with placement of 650 ZBIS or Gore IBDs (75 bilateral) in 6 European centers. The primary outcome was procedure-related reinterventions for occlusion or high-grade (>70%) stenosis of the bridging device, occlusion of the ipsilateral common or external iliac artery (EIA), type I/III endoleak, rupture, or infection following IBD implantation. Clinical and radiological data were analyzed based on preset definitions of comorbidities, aneurysm morphology, intraoperative variables, and follow-up strategies. Results: Nine (1.6%) reinterventions were performed within 30 days for occlusion or endoleak. Among 10 (1.5%) occluded EIAs ipsilateral to a deployed IBD, 6 underwent a reintervention with additional stent placement after thrombolysis (n=4) or a femorofemoral or iliofemoral crossover bypass (n=2). Three of 14 patients with early type I endoleak had a reintervention for an insufficient proximal sealing zone (stent-grafts in 2 common iliac arteries and 1 bifurcated endograft). Mean clinical and radiological follow-up were 32.6±9.9 and 29.8±21.1 months, respectively. Forty-two (7.3%) patients underwent reinterventions in the follow-up period. The overall postoperative reintervention rate was 8.9%. Both external and common iliac segments occluded in 30 (4.6%) IBDs; 2 patients had a crossover bypass and 14 were treated with endovascular techniques. In the other 14 patients, no specific treatment was performed. Seven (1.2%) patients with isolated EIA occlusion were treated during follow-up. Nineteen of the overall 28 patients with type I endoleak underwent endovascular repair. The other 9 were under radiological surveillance due to less significant (<5 mm) sac increase. No reintervention was performed to recanalize 11 (1.6%) occluded internal iliac arteries. Conclusion: Midterm experience with placement of IBDs is associated with a low incidence of secondary procedures due to type I endoleaks and occlusions. The main reasons for reinterventions seem to be short proximal sealing zone and poor conformability of the ZBIS device in elongated EIAs.

Results of aberrant right subclavian artery aneurysm repair

OBJECTIVE The objective of this multicenter registry was to review current treatments and late results of repair of aneurysm of aberrant right subclavian artery (AARSA). METHODS All consecutive AARSA repairs from 2006 to 2013 in seven centers were reviewed. End points were 30-day and late mortality, reintervention rate, and AARSA-related death. RESULTS Twenty-one AARSA repairs were included (57% men; mean age, 67 years); 3 ruptures (14%) required emergent treatment; 12 (57%) were symptomatic for dysphagia (33%), dysphonia (24%), or pain (19%). Eight cases (38%) presented with thoracic aortic aneurysm, two with intramural hematoma, and one with acute type B aortic dissection. Mean AARSA diameter was 4.2 cm; a single bicarotid common trunk was present in 38% of cases. The majority of patients underwent hybrid intervention (n = 15; 71%) consisting of single (n = 2) or bilateral (n = 12) subclavian to carotid transposition or bypass or ascending aorta to subclavian bypass (n = 1) plus thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR); 19% of cases underwent open repair and 9% simple TEVAR with AARSA overstenting. Perioperative death occurred in two patients (9%): in one case after TEVAR in ruptured AARSA, requiring secondary sternotomy and aortic banding; and in an elective case due to multiorgan failure after a hybrid procedure. Median follow-up was 30 (interquartile range, 15-46) months. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of survival at 36 months was 90% (standard error, 0.64). Late AARSA-related death in one case was due to AARSA-esophageal fistula presenting with continuing backflow from distal AARSA and previous TEVAR. At computed tomography controls, one type I endoleak and one type II endoleak were detected; the latter required reintervention by aneurysm wrapping and ligature of collaterals. AARSA-related death was more frequent after TEVAR, a procedure reserved for ruptures, compared with elective open or hybrid repair. CONCLUSIONS Hybrid repair is the preferred therapeutic option for patients presenting with AARSA. Midterm results show high rates of clinical success with low risk of reintervention. Simple endografting presents high risk of related death; these findings underline the importance of achieving complete sealing to avoid treatment failures.

Standard "off-the-shelf" multibranched thoracoabdominal endograft in urgent and elective patients with single and staged procedures in a multicenter experience.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess immediate and midterm outcomes for urgent/emergent and elective patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) treated with the first commercially available “off‐the‐shelf” multibranched endograft for endovascular aneurysm repair, with a single‐step or a staged surgical approach. Methods: A multicenter, nonrandomized, retrospective study was conducted of TAAA patients grouped by urgent/emergent and elective treatment with multibranched endograft for endovascular aneurysm repair at 13 Italian centers from November 2012 to August 2016. Urgent/emergent repair was classified as rupture in 16%, impending rupture in 9%, pain in 53%, or a maximum TAAA diameter ≥80 mm in 22%. Study end points were technical success, mortality, spinal cord ischemia, target visceral vessel (TVV) patency, and procedure‐related reinterventions at 30 days and at follow‐up. Results: Seventy‐three patients (274 TVVs) were enrolled. Treatment was performed in elective (n = 41 [56%]) or urgent/emergent (n = 32 [44%]) settings, according to a single‐step (n = 30 [41%]) or staged (n = 43 [59%]) approach. Technical success was 92%. Mortality within 30 days was 4% (n = 3 urgent/emergent patients) due to myocardial infarction. Spinal cord ischemia was recorded in two patients (3%; elective group). The primary patency of TVVs was 99% (three renal branch occlusions). Procedure‐related reinterventions were required in five cases (7%). At least one adverse event from any cause ≤30 days was registered in 42% (n = 31). At a median follow‐up of 18 months (range, 1–43 months), eight (11%) deaths (elective vs urgent/emergent, 2% vs 22%; P = .018), three (1%) cases of branch occlusion or stenosis, and five (7%) reinterventions were recorded. A survival of 88% (standard error [SE], 4%), 86% (SE, 4%), and 82% (SE, 5%) was evidenced at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively. Urgent/emergent repair and female gender were identified as independent risk factors for all‐cause mortality (P < .001 and P = .015, respectively), and the staged approach was identified as protective (P = .026). Freedom from reintervention was 86% (SE, 4%) and 83% (SE, 5%) at 12 and 24 months. Conclusions: The first off‐the‐shelf multibranched endograft seems safe in both urgent/emergent and elective settings. The staged surgical approach appears to positively influence overall survival. This unique device and its operators will usher in a new treatment paradigm for TAAA repair.

A Steerable Sheath to Deploy Hypogastric Bridging Stent by Contralateral Femoral Approach in an Iliac Branch Procedure after Endovascular Aneurysm Repair

Aneurysmal degeneration of distal landing zones after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) can be a potential cause of late failure of this technique. Aneurysmal degeneration of common iliac arteries increases the risk of rupture of the iliac aneurysm itself as well as of the abdominal aortic aneurysm owing to aneurysms reperfusion as a type Ib endoleak. Reoperation consists in plugging and covering the internal iliac artery (IIA), by extension into the external iliac artery, or preservation of antegrade flow in IIA by iliac branch devices (IBDs) or sandwich technique. The management of common iliac aneurysms after EVAR with the purpose of preserving antegrade flow into IIA generally requires a brachial or axillary access. However, this approach may be theoretically associated with local or systemic complications. We report a case of IBD implantation after EVAR, using a steerable sheath for IIA bridging stent deployment via contralateral femoral approach.

Isolated Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms Treated Solely With Iliac Branch Stent-Grafts: Midterm Results of a Multicenter Registry

Purpose: To assess early and midterm outcomes of iliac branch device (IBD) implantation without an aortic stent-graft for the treatment of isolated common iliac artery aneurysm (CIAA). Methods: From December 2006 to June 2016, 49 isolated CIAAs in 46 patients were treated solely with an IBD at 7 vascular centers. Five patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 41 male patients (mean age 72.5±7.8 years) for analysis. Mean CIAA diameter was 39.1±10.5 mm (range 25–65). Thirty-two patients (2 with bilateral CIAAs) were treated with a Cook Zenith iliac branch device; 9 patients (1 bilateral) received a Gore Excluder iliac branch endoprosthesis. Primary endpoints were technical success, survival, aneurysm exclusion, device patency, and freedom from reintervention at 1 and 5 years. Freedom from major adverse events and aneurysm shrinkage at 1 year were also assessed. Results: Thirty-day mortality and the IBD occlusion rate were 2.4% and 2.3%, respectively. At a mean follow-up of 40.2±33.9 months, no patient presented buttock claudication, erectile dysfunction, or bowel or spinal cord ischemia. Three patients died within 6 months after the procedure. Estimates of cumulative survival, device patency, and freedom from reintervention were 90.2%, 95.2%, and 95.7%, respectively, at 1 and 5 years. At 1 year, CIAA shrinkage ≥5 mm was recorded in 21 of 38 survivors. No evidence of endoleak, device migration, or disconnection was found on imaging follow-up. Conclusion: The use of IBDs without an aortic stent-graft for isolated CIAAs resulted in excellent patency, with low morbidity and mortality. This, in conjunction with no endoleak or migration and a low reintervention rate, supports the use of isolated IBDs as a stable and durable means of endovascular reconstruction in cases with suitable anatomy. Longer follow-up and a larger cohort are needed to validate these results.

Spontaneous Deep Femoral Artery False Aneurysm Simulating a Neoplasm: A Rare Case and Literature Review

A 70-year-old woman presented to our attention with a painless pulsating mass at the level of the upper left thigh without any previous history of trauma, arterial surgery, or puncture of the femoral artery. Duplex ultrasound showed a nodular angiomatous-like formation with deep venous compression; computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance imaging reported the presence of capsulated lesion vascularized by muscular branch of deep femoral artery (DFA). The patient underwent surgical excision of a very rare thrombized DFA branch false aneurysm. Spontaneous DFA false aneurysm, although rare, will be considered in absence of trauma or vascular catheterization or previous aneurysmal rupture.

Spot Stenting of Supra-aortic Branch Vessels for Residual Type A Dissection

The purpose of this report was to describe the exclusion of the false lumen in a residual type A aortic dissection (TAAD) by the deployment of 2 covered stents: one in the right common carotid artery (RCCA) and one in the left subclavian artery (LSA). A 77-year-old female, already treated with ascending aorta replacement for acute TAAD, was referred to our center for a 97-mm post-dissection arch aneurysm. A computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed false lumen patency by reperfusion from secondary tears located at the level of RCCA and LSA. No primary aortic tear was noted. Under local anesthesia and by transfemoral percutaneous approach, the tears at the level of RCCA and LSA were covered by a 9-mm Viabahn stent graft (Gore, Flagstaff, AZ), and a 10-mm V-12 stent graft (Maquet, Rastatt, Germany), respectively. The false lumen was finally occluded by the deployment of a 6-mm vascular plug at the level of LSA re-entry tear, by left transbrachial puncture. The procedure was completed uneventfully. Twelve-month CTA showed exclusion of the false lumen, patency of all supra aortic trunks, and initial shrinkage of the aneurysm. Spot stenting of secondary re-entry tears, already described for visceral branches, seems to be safe and effective also for supra-aortic trunks in selected patients.