Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms: initial experience and short and mid- term results

Objective: The purpose of this study is to present the short and medium-term results of the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). This is an initial experience of a multidisciplinary team. Method: Between July 2003 and October 2005, 42 patients (25 of whom suffered from AAAs) were treated with endovascular therapy for aortic diseases. The mean patient age was 74 ± 10.2 years with 92% men. The endovascular procedures were performed by a multidisciplinary team in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre and Hospital Luterano (ULBRA). In twenty-four of the AAA patients, bifurcated grafts were used and only one had a straight graft. In all patients the procedure was carried out by femoral artery dissection in a catheterization laboratory. There was no need to convert to open repair. Results: There were no operative or postoperative deaths. The survival rate free from re-interventions is 96% after two years and three months. One (4%) patient needed a new endovascular procedure for a type I endoleak one year after, and three extensions were used successfully. Two other patients needed femoro-femoral bypasses, one at the same time as the endovascular procedure and the other one 24 hours later because of lower limb ischemia. Conclusion: The endovascular treatment of AAAs represents a new less invasive alternative to conventional surgery, especially for high risk patients. Further prospective and randomized studies to evaluate the long term outcomes are needed. Excellent results in the short and medium-terms can be obtained by multidisciplinary teams in our country. Descriptors: Aortic aneurysm. Prostheses and implants. Stents.