Ultrasound evaluation of endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) offers a minimally invasive alternative to an open surgical procedure in selected patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of ultrasonography for evaluating the results of endovascular repair. Methods. We studied 17 patients who underwent endovascular repair. In 10 patients a bifurcated prosthesis was positioned below the renal arteries with the bifurcated branches in the iliac arteries. The other 7 patients had a nonbifurcated infrarenal prosthesis. Results: In each patient the AAA and the entire prosthesis, including its bifurcated branches, were visualized. The mean AAA diameter was 5.0 +/- 0.6 cm. The mean prosthesis body diameter was 2.2 +/- 0.3 cm, and the diameters of the bifurcated limbs were 1.0 to 1.2 cm. Color Doppler studies revealed blood flow limited to the prosthetic lumen and its bifurcation in 16 patients; the space between the prosthesis and the AAA wall was clotted in these patients. In 1 patient a communication was seen between the prosthesis and the AAA lumen through a dehiscence in the distal attachment. Conclusion: Ultrasonography is a simple, noninvasive tool for the evaluation of the results of endovascular repair of AAA and can detect complications of this procedure.