Comparison of branched, fenestrated, and parallel strategies for endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies involving visceral regions

Purpose: To compare the long-term efficacy of the parallel stent graft (PSG), fenestrated stent graft (FSG), and branched stent graft (BSG) techniques to treat thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies. Materials and methods: In total, 291 patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) and dissection (TAD) involving visceral arteries who underwent PSG (n = 85; 15 TAA and 70 TAD), FSG (n = 107; 47 TAD and 60 TAA), or BSG (n = 99; 37 TAD and 62 TAA) were included from multiple centers from January 2015 to December 2022, and a total of 1,108 visceral aortic branches were reconstructed. Results: The average reconstruction time of each visceral aortic branch for FSG, BSG, and PSG is 27.5 +/- 12.1, 23.2 +/- 11.9, and 18.8 +/- 11.8 min, respectively (P < 0.01). The free-from-endoleak rate at the last follow-up for FSG, BSG, and PSG was 86.9%, 91.9%, and 60.0%, respectively. The last follow-up patency rate for FSG, BSG, and PSG was 85.0%, 91.9%, and 94.1%, respectively. The average reconstruction price of each visceral aortic branch for FSG, BSG, and PSG was 41.40 +/- 3.22 thousand RMB, 41.84 +/- 3.86 thousand RMB, and 42.35 +/- 4.52 thousand RMB, respectively (P = 0.24). Conclusion: To treat the aortic pathologies involving the visceral segment, BSG had a lower endoleak rate and higher branch patency rate when compared with the FSG and PSG techniques. The expense of BSG was comparable to the other two techniques.