Endovascular therapy of aneurysms of the aorta: Initial clinical results

Purpose: A clinical study aiming at examining the implantation technique and the clinical results of a new vascular prosthesis in endovascular therapy of aneurysms of the aorta. Material and methods: In 21 patients (20 men of 55 to 87 years of age, average age 70 years) with aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta (AAA n = 19) and the thoracic aorta (n = 2), a self-expanding nitinol stent with outer Dacron sheath (tubular prosthesis n = 4; bifurcation prosthesis n = 17) was implanted by means of an F-18 introductory set after surgical opening of the inguinal artery. Results: By means of the 4 tubular prostheses and 13 of the 17 bifurcation prostheses the aneurysm was bypassed completely. In 4 cases residual perfusion through leaks (n = 3) or collateral blood supply (n = 1) was seen. In 6 patients 7 complications occurred which did not require to be operated on. No patient died in consequence of the surgical intervention or during the hospital stay. Follow-ups up to 8 months after surgery did not reveal any late complications to date. Conclusions: Endovascular implantation of vascular prostheses is a promising new method for interdisciplinary treatment of aneurysms of the aorta.