Purpose: To report the outcomes of fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) and compare early and midterm results in relation to stent-graft complexity.
Methods: Between August 2006 and December 2014, 141 consecutive patients (mean age 72±7.6 years, range 50-89; 120 men) were treated electively with FEVAR for short-neck, juxtarenal, or suprarenal aortic aneurysms. Forty-five patients treated with stent-grafts featuring renal-only fenestrations were assigned to group A, while 96 patients receiving additional fenestrations for the superior mesenteric and/or celiac arteries were assigned to group B. Technical success, operative mortality and morbidity, target vessel patency, endoleak, reintervention, and survival were compared between the groups. Survival, target vessel stent patency, and reintervention during follow-up were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis; the estimates are presented with the 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results: Technical success was achieved in 135 (95.7%) patients. Overall 30-day operative mortality was 3.5% (5/141). Perioperative complications occurred in 16 (12.1%) patients. Mean follow-up was 33±23 months. Overall estimated survival was 85.1% (95% CI 79.1% to 91.1%) at 1 year and 75.8% (95% CI 68.2% to 83.5%) at 3 years. Freedom from reintervention was 90.6% (95% CI 85.6% to 95.6%) at 1 year and 79.2% (95% CI 71% to 87.5%) at 3 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of perioperative mortality or morbidity, endoleak, survival, target vessel patency, or reintervention.
Conclusion: The use of FEVAR for juxta- and suprarenal aneurysms is associated with low 30-day mortality/morbidity and high midterm efficacy. So far, perioperative and midterm results are not affected by the use of more complex fenestrated designs.
Keywords: abdominal aortic aneurysm; celiac artery; fenestrated stent-graft; juxtarenal aneurysm; renal arteries; superior mesenteric artery; suprarenal aneurysm; visceral arteries.