Endovascular repair of paraanastomotic aneurysms - after aortic reconstruction

We designed this retrospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous approaches for repair of paraanastomotic aneurysms that develop after surgical aortic reconstruction. The catheterization records of patients who had undergone percutaneous repair of paraanastomotic aneurysms from January 2001 through December 2005 were reviewed, and data regarding preoperative aneurysm size, risk factors, intraoperative techniques, morbidity, and death were recorded. Eight patients had undergone exclusion of a total of 10 paraanastomotic aneurysms. The average age of the prosthetic graft at diagnosis was 11.7 years. Four of the patients were symptomatic; none of these had a ruptured aneurysm. All patients received commercially available devices. Technical success was achieved in all patients. Conscious sedation alone was administered to 7 patients. There were no in-hospital deaths, and morbidity was minimal. We conclude that endovascular exclusion of paraanastomotic aneurysms after aortic reconstruction is a viable alternative to open surgical repair and greatly reduces the risk of morbidity and death.