Endovascular treatment of infrarenal abdominal aneurysms by the Stentor system: Preliminary results of 79 cases

Purpose: We report the initial French multicenter experience with the Stenter system in the endovascular treatment of AAAs. Methods: Between May 1994 and March 1996, 79 patients with AAAs were consecutively treated with an endovascular technique using the Stenter system. There were 71 bifurcated grafts and eight straight grafts. The patients were followed-up from 1 to 18 months (mean, 5.7 months). Patient data and events were retrospectively analyzed. Results: No patient was lost to follow-up. There were no surgical conversions. Four patients died after operation (4.8%). Two of them had been considered inoperable by the standard technique. Four patients (4.8%) had pulmonary complications, and three had colonic ischemia (3.7%). Forty-five patients (57%) had postoperative fever, and a transitory thrombocytopenia (10%) developed in eight patients. In 66 patients (83%) the aneurysm mas immediately excluded, The exclusion was definitive in 62 (78%). In 17 patients, there were 13 initial and six delayed endoleaks. In two of these patients, the initial endoleak sealed temporarily and resumed after 1 year of follow-up, requiring an additional straight, covered stent. Over all, seven of the leaks were treated successfully by an additional endovascular graft, one leak required a lumbar artery embolization, eight leaks sealed spontaneously, and one leak was untreated. During follow-up, there was no aneurysm rupture. Two patients died of unrelated causes. Conclusion: The Stenter system can safely and effectively exclude AAAs in the short term. Careful follow-up is required to detect any delayed endoleak, and long-term results are awaited to confirm the efficacy of the method in preventing AAA rupture.