Treatment of aortoiliac aneurysms with use of single-piece tapered stent-grafts

PURPOSE: The authors describe their experience with the use of single-piece, tapered stent-grafts for the treatment of abdominal aortic or aortoiliac aneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Single-piece, tapered stent-grafts were placed in 15 patients for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms with small distal necks (n = 13), and aortoiliac aneurysms (n = 2), There were 13 men and two women who ranged in age from 59 to 83 years (mean, 71 years), Usual open surgery was considered high risk in all patients because of comorbid medical conditions, The stent-grafts were made of Z stents covered with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Additional stent-grafts needed to treat perigraft leaks were made of Z stents covered with woven polyester (n = 5), Wallstents covered with PTFE (n = 2), Z stents covered with PTFE (n = 1), and a PTFE-covered Palmaz stent (n = 1), After stent-graft placement, the contralateral iliac artery was occluded by a blocking device composed of either a PTFE-covered Palmaz (n = 1) or Z stent (n = 13), and a femoral-femoral bypass was created. RESULTS: After placement of the stent-grafts, immediate perigraft leaks were observed in eight patients (53%), These were at the proximal (n = 5) or the distal end (n = 3), All, except one, were treated successfully with additional stent-grafts, The one failure was in a patient who developed aortic rupture after balloon dilation, requiring open surgical repair, Second procedures were required in four patients (27%), including three leaks treated successfully with coil embolization and/or a back-up stent-graft, and one stent-graft migration and thrombosis treated by thrombolysis and placement of an additional stent-graft, One patient died of respiratory failure 23 days after placement of the stent-graft, The mean follow-up was 12 months (range, 4-26 months), On the last follow-up, the aneurysms in the 13 living patients remained thrombosed. CONCLUSION: Treatment of aortoiliac aneurysms with use of single-piece, tapered stent-grafts is feasible in selected patients, The morbidity and mortality rates compare favorably with those of the open surgical procedures in a high-risk population, Further improvements in the technique and longer follow-up data are needed before this procedure can be recommended for the treatment of all aortoiliac aneurysms.