Emergency endovascular interventions for ruptured thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms

Background The purpose of our study was to show the effectiveness of endovascular stent grafts in the treatment of acutely ruptured abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms as an alternative to the conventional surgical approach in an emergency setting. Methods From October 1996 to October 1998 we deployed 9 emergent endovascular stent grafts- 6 in the abdominal aorta and 3 in the thoracic aorta. Aortic rupture was confirmed before surgery with spiral-computed tomographic scan. The average interval from onset of symptoms to treatment was 4.5 hours. We used commercially manufactured stent grafts: 4 Corvita (Corvita Inc/Schneider Corp/Boston Scientific Corp, Natick, Mass), 3 Talent (World Medical Inc, Surise, Fla/Medtronic, Sunnyvale, Calif), and 2 Vanguard (Boston Scientific Corp, Natick, Mass). Results Deployment of the stent grafts was successful in all cases. Two patients died in the follow-up period (120 months) from myocardial infarction. No cases were seen of paraplegia or stent migration. However, 2 endoleaks, 1 instent stenosis, 1 temporary renal failure, and 1 brief episode of myocardial ischemia occurred. Conclusion Our experiences with emergency endovascular stent grafting show that the procedure is technically feasible, with less morbidity and mortality than conventional open surgery, in selected patients.