ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Nellix was introduced to Asia in 2014. Data in Asians have been sparse. Two balloon-expandable stents, each surrounded by a polymer-filled endobag, are deployed in parallel to obliterate and seal the aneurysm. This paradigm shift to treating abdominal aortic aneurysms confers advantages for certain adverse aneurysm morphology that is outside the instruction-for-use (IFU) for standard endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) devices. We examine outcomes of 15 Asian patients with concomitant infrarenal aortic and iliac artery aneurysms treated with the Nellix at our institution. METHOD: Between July 2014 and August 2016, 15 male patients underwent elective EVAS at a single tertiary center by the same team of vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists. Patient demographics, clinical presentations, aneurysm morphology, perioperative complications, and follow-up imaging according to the standardized protocol were studied. Preoperative CT images were analyzed using validated automatic 3-dimensional sizing software EndoSize. RESULT: The novel stent-graft deployment proves consistent and achieved a 100% technical success. Eleven patients (70%) complied within specified Nellix IFU, as compared to 20% if standard endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) IFU was applied. The difference is due to the presence of concurrent common iliac aneurysms (n = 5), short neck length (n = 3), and angulated necks (n = 3). Adjunct procedures included 3 open access endarterectomy with embolectomy, 1 coil embolization of internal iliac artery, 1 bilateral renal artery chimneys, and 1 proximal stent deployment. There was no conversion to open surgery. Average operative time was 133 min. Median length of stay was 4 days. Thirty-day mortality was 0%. Perioperative morbidity included exacerbation of pre-existing renal impairment (n = 6), peripheral vascular disease (n = 3), and postimplantation syndrome (n = 5). One endoleak (7%) and 2 instances of stent migration (14%) were detected. There was no complication of aneurysm or endobag rupture, limb thromboses, or fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Early data in our center are encouraging and highlight high procedural success with minimal complications despite challenging patient anatomy.
Subject(s)
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal/surgery , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/instrumentation , Blood Vessel Prosthesis , Endovascular Procedures/instrumentation , Guideline Adherence , Iliac Aneurysm/surgery , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Stents , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal/diagnostic imaging , Aortography/methods , Blood Vessel Prosthesis/standards , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/adverse effects , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/standards , Clinical Decision-Making , Computed Tomography Angiography , Endovascular Procedures/adverse effects , Endovascular Procedures/standards , Guideline Adherence/standards , Humans , Iliac Aneurysm/diagnostic imaging , Length of Stay , Male , Middle Aged , Operative Time , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/standards , Prosthesis Design , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Singapore , Stents/standards , Tertiary Care Centers , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether multidetector CT (MDCT) angiography is an accurate and reliable method of revealing atheroocclusive disease of the aortoiliac system and the lower extremities compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients with ischemic legs underwent both MDCT angiography and DSA of the aortoiliac system and the legs. The arterial supply of the legs was divided into 35 segments. Three independent observers rated each segment according to the maximal degree of arterial stenosis. Consensus interpretation was used to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of MDCT angiography in showing arterial occlusions and stenoses of at least 75%. Intertechnique agreement was measured for each anatomic segment, and interobserver agreement was calculated for both techniques. Agreement was quantified using the kappa statistic. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of MDCT angiography for depicting arterial occlusions and stenoses of at least 75% were 88.6% and 97.7%, and 92.2% and 96.8%, respectively. Substantial intertechnique agreement (kappa > 0.4) was present in 102 (97.1%) of 105 arterial segments. Substantial interobserver agreement was present in 104 (99.0%) of 105 comparisons for both MDCT angiography and DSA with an average kappa value of 0.84 for CT and 0.78 for DSA. MDCT angiography showed more patent segments than DSA (1192 vs 1091). All nine segments seen on DSA and not seen on MDCT angiography were in the calves. Of 110 segments seen on MDCT angiography and not seen on DSA, 100 (90.9%) were in the calves. CONCLUSION: MDCT angiography was accurate in showing arterial atheroocclusive disease with reliability similar to DSA. MDCT angiography showed more vascular segments than DSA, particularly within calf vessels.
