Objectives: The treatment of thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm continues to have a high mortality and paraplegia rate. In superaging societies, the methods of performing less invasive operations remain a major issue. We reviewed our 10-year experience in the treatment of thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm using a hybrid procedure of combined visceral reconstruction and thoracic endovascular aortic repair.
Methods: Sixty patients underwent a hybrid repair for the treatment of the thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm between 2007 and 2016. The mean age was 72.7 years. A true aneurysm was found in 43 (72%) patients and a chronic dissection in 17 (28%) patients. The standard operative procedure involved replacing the abdominal aorta with an artificial graft, and the visceral arteries were reconstructed using a quadrifurcated graft. Renovisceral debranching and stent grafting were performed as a 2-stage procedure.
Results: The hospital mortality rate was 5%. Two (3%) patients died due to an aneurysmal rupture in the hospital just after renovisceral debranching. The other 2 patients died due to an aneurysmal rupture in the long-term period after preventive renovisceral debranching. Two (3%) patients experienced spinal cord ischaemia after the stenting procedure. Four (7%) patients required additional treatment during the follow-up period. The overall survival was 75.9% at 2 years, 65.2% at 5 years and 43.5% at 8 years. The rates of freedom from aorta-related events were 92.9% at 2 years, 80.5% at 5 years and 72.5% at 8 years.
Conclusions: The hybrid repair is considered to be a good option for elderly and high-risk patients. Further long-term follow-up is necessary to extend the indication in younger patients.