Late graft explants in endovascular aneurysm repair.

With more than a decade of use of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), we expect to see a rise in the number of failing endografts. We review a single-center experience with EVAR explants to identify patterns of presentation and understand operative outcomes that may alter clinical management. A retrospective analysis of EVARs requiring late explants, >1 month after implant, was performed. Patient demographics, type of graft, duration of implant, reason for removal, operative technique, length of stay, complications, and in-hospital and late mortality were reviewed. During 1999 to 2012, 100 patients (91% men) required EVAR explant, of which 61 were placed at another institution. The average age was 75 years (range, 50-93 years). The median length of time since implantation was 41 months (range, 1-144 months). Explanted grafts included 25 AneuRx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn), 25 Excluder (W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz), 17 Zenith (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind), 15 Talent (Medtronic), 10 Ancure (Guidant, Indianapolis, Ind), 4 Powerlink (Endologix, Irvine, Calif), 1 Endurant (Medtronic), 1 Quantum LP (Cordis, Miami Lakes, Fla), 1 Aorta Uni Iliac Rupture Graft (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind), and 1 homemade tube graft. Overall 30-day mortality was 17%, with an elective case mortality of 9.9%, nonelective case mortality of 37%, and 56% mortality for ruptures. Endoleak was the most common indication for explant, with one or more endoleaks present in 82% (type I, 40%; II, 30%; III, 22%; endotension, 6%; multiple, 16%). Other reasons for explant included infection (13%), acute thrombosis (4%), and claudication (1%). In the first 12 months, 23 patients required explants, with type I endoleak (48%) and infection (35%) the most frequent indication. Conversely, 22 patients required explants after 5 years, with type I (36%) and type III (32%) endoleak responsible for most indications. The rate of EVAR late explants has increased during the past decade at our institution. Survival is higher when the explant is done electively compared with emergent repair. Difficulty in obtaining a seal at the initial EVAR often leads to failure ≤1 year, whereas progression of aneurysmal disease is the primary reason for failure >5 years.

Turney EJ ，Steenberge SP ，Lyden SP ，Eagleton MJ ，Srivastava SD ，Sarac TP ，Kelso RL ，Clair DG ... -  《-》

Late open conversion and explantation of abdominal aortic stent grafts.

To evaluate indications for, operative strategy during, and outcomes following late open surgical conversion following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Between 2002 and 2009, patients undergoing open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair at a university hospital were entered prospectively into a database which was examined to identify patients undergoing open conversion >30 days after EVAR. Over 7 years, 21 patients required late open conversion of EVAR. The average patient age was 75 years (range, 59-88), and there were 16 male (76%) patients. The mean interval to conversion was 33.4 months (range, 2-73). Eight patients (38%) presented with proximal type I endoleak; 4 patients (19%) presented with type II endoleak and aneurysm expansion; 5 patients (24%) presented with graft migration and aneurysm expansion; and 5 patients (24%) presented with de novo visceral aneurysms. Rupture (1) and infection (1) were also observed. There were five (24%) emergent cases. Most patients (12/21, 57%) had more than one reason for conversion. There were no perioperative deaths; three patients (14%) had major complications. Grafts requiring conversion were AneuRx (6; Medtronic AVE, Santa Rosa, Calif), Zenith (6; Cook Inc, Bloomington, Ind), Talent (3; Medtronic), Excluder (2; W. L. Gore, Flagstaff, Ariz), Anaconda (1; TERUMO Corp, Ann Arbor, Mich), Ancure (1; Guidant, Menlo Park, Calif), Quantum LP (1; Cordis Corp, Miami Lakes, Fla), and Powerlink (1; Endologix, Irvine, Calif). The surgical approach was retroperitoneal in 16 (76%) and transperitoneal in four (19%) patients. Initial proximal aortic control was supraceliac (9/21), suprarenal (7/21), or infrarenal (5/21), with stepwise distal clamping to reduce ischemic time. Complete endograft removal was performed in 17/21 patients; in 4/21 the distal anastomosis was performed to the endograft after proximal segment explantation. Reconstruction was completed with tube (19/21) or aortoiliac (2/21) grafts; in one case, homograft was used. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 1.9 L (range, 0.4-6.5 L), mean intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 3 days (range, 2-6), and the mean hospital stay was 10 days (range, 4-39). While technically challenging, delayed open conversion of EVAR can be accomplished with low morbidity and mortality in both the elective and emergent settings. These results reinforce the justification for long-term surveillance of endografts following EVAR.

Brinster CJ ，Fairman RM ，Woo EY ，Wang GJ ，Carpenter JP ，Jackson BM ... -  《-》

Late conversion of aortic stent grafts.

Kelso RL ，Lyden SP ，Butler B ，Greenberg RK ，Eagleton MJ ，Clair DG ... -  《-》

Graft infection after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Although the natural history and management of infected open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is well described, only sporadic case reports have described the fate of patients with infected endografts placed in the abdominal aorta. The present study describes a tertiary referral center's experience with infected endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVARs). The medical records of 1302 open and endovascular aortic procedures were queried from January 2000 to January 2010. The cases were reviewed for prior aortic procedures, prosthetic implants, and etiology of current open procedure. Demographics, operative details, and perioperative courses were documented. Nine patients (1 woman) with a mean age of 71 years had an EVAR that later required an open procedure for explantation and surgical revision for suspected infection. All grafts were explanted through a midline transperitoneal approach, with a mean time to explant of 33 months. The explanted endografts included 4 Zenith (Cook, Bloomington, Ind), 2 Ancure (Endovascular Technologies, Menlo Park, Calif), 2 Excluders (Gore, Flagstaff, Ariz), and 1 AneuRx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn). Eight of the nine original EVARs were performed at other hospitals; 1 patient had EVAR and open explant at the University of Michigan. All patients had preoperative computed tomography scans, except one who was transferred in extremis with a gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Three patients also had a tagged leukocyte scan, and two had magnetic resonance imaging to further reinforce the suspicion of infection before explantation and bypass planning. Rifampin-soaked Hemashield (Boston Scientific) in situ grafts were used in four patients, with extra-anatomic (axillary-bifemoral) bypass used in the other five. The in situ group had no positive preoperative or postoperative cultures, with the exception of the unstable patient who died the day of surgery. For the other five patients, positive tissue cultures were found for Bacteroides, Escherichia coli, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Candida. Three patients were found to have aortic-enteric fistula, two of whom died before discharge from the hospital. The remaining seven survived to discharge. Average length of stay was 22 days, with a median follow-up of 11 months. This series of infected EVARs is the largest group of infected AAA endografts reported to date. Because EVAR of AAAs is presently the most common method of repair, development of endograft infection, while rare, can be managed with acceptable mortality rates. Patients presenting with aortic-enteric fistula after EVAR appear to have a more virulent course.

Laser A ，Baker N ，Rectenwald J ，Eliason JL ，Criado-Pallares E ，Upchurch GR Jr ... -  《-》

Late open conversion after failed endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is widely used for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Complications secondary to EVAR are also treated with endovascular techniques. When this is not applicable, open surgical repair is mandatory. This study aims to present our experience in open surgical repair after failed EVAR. Within the period from 2004 through 2013, 18 patients (17 men; mean age, 73.9 years) were operated on because of EVAR failure due to persistent type II endoleak (n = 10), type I or III endoleak (n = 3), mixed-type endoleaks (n = 2), stent graft thrombosis (n = 2), and aortoenteric fistulae (n = 1). Stent grafts used for EVAR were Zenith (n = 8), Talent (n = 4), Excluder (n = 4), and Anaconda (n = 2). Mean time interval between EVAR and open conversion was 36 months (range, 2-120 months). Fifteen (83.3%) operations were elective, and three (16.7%) were urgent due to aneurysm rupture (n = 2) and aortoenteric fistula (n = 1). Six (33.3%) patients with type II endoleak were treated with simple ligation of the culprit vessels, without aortic clamping and stent graft explantation. In six (33.3%) patients, the stent graft was partially removed except from the segment attached to the proximal neck, while in five (27.8%) patients, complete removal of the stent graft was necessary. Finally, in one patient, with type III endoleak, a hybrid endovascular and open repair was performed. Clamping of the aorta was necessary in 12 (66.7%) patients (infrarenal, n = 10 or suprarenal, n = 2). Overall operative mortality was 5.6%. Postoperative complications included one abdominal wall defect requiring surgical revision and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation both in the same patient, and one case of pulmonary infection, requiring prolonged intubation and intensive care unit stay for 6 days. Late open conversion after failed EVAR remains challenging. Avoidance of aortic cross-clamping and if possible, partial or total preservation of the stent graft may improve outcomes in terms of operative mortality and morbidity. Elective operations seem to be associated with better outcomes, prompting thus for close follow-up of EVAR patients and early decision for conversion if other options are doubtful.

Klonaris C ，Lioudaki S ，Katsargyris A ，Psathas E ，Kouvelos G ，Doulaptsis M ，Verikokos C ，Kouraklis G ... -  《-》