Clinical effect of accessory renal artery coverage after endovascular repair of aneurysms in abdominal and thoracoabdominal aorta

Editor's Choice -- European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2024 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Abdominal Aorto-Iliac Artery Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE

The European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) has developed clinical practice guidelines for the care of patients with aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries in succession to the 2011 and 2019 versions, with the aim of assisting physicians and patients in selecting the best management strategy.

METHODS

The guideline is based on scientific evidence completed with expert opinion on the matter. By summarising and evaluating the best available evidence, recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of patients have been formulated. The recommendations are graded according to a modified European Society of Cardiology grading system, where the strength (class) of each recommendation is graded from I to III and the letters A to C mark the level of evidence.

RESULTS

A total of 160 recommendations have been issued on the following topics: Service standards, including surgical volume and training; Epidemiology, diagnosis, and screening; Management of patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), including surveillance, cardiovascular risk reduction, and indication for repair; Elective AAA repair, including operative risk assessment, open and endovascular repair, and early complications; Ruptured and symptomatic AAA, including peri-operative management, such as permissive hypotension and use of aortic occlusion balloon, open and endovascular repair, and early complications, such as abdominal compartment syndrome and colonic ischaemia; Long term outcome and follow up after AAA repair, including graft infection, endoleaks and follow up routines; Management of complex AAA, including open and endovascular repair; Management of iliac artery aneurysm, including indication for repair and open and endovascular repair; and Miscellaneous aortic problems, including mycotic, inflammatory, and saccular aortic aneurysm. In addition, Shared decision making is being addressed, with supporting information for patients, and Unresolved issues are discussed.

CONCLUSION

The ESVS Clinical Practice Guidelines provide the most comprehensive, up to date, and unbiased advice to clinicians and patients on the management of abdominal aorto-iliac artery aneurysms.

Fenestrated Physician-Modified Endografts for Preservation of Main and Accessory Renal Arteries in Juxtarenal Aortic Aneurysms

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of reporting outcomes of complex aortic aneurysm treatment such as juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms, where additional techniques to preserve renal artery perfusion are required.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent emergent and elective aortic repair with fenestrated PMEGs between March 2019 and January 2023. Endpoints were technical success, reinterventions, secondary reinterventions and target vessel patency.

RESULTS

Forty-seven target vessels in 37 patients (23 male, median age 75 years) were targeted, of which 44 were renal arteries (RAs) with a mean diameter of 5.4 ± 1.0 mm. Thirteen were accessory RAs and six had a diameter ≤ 4 mm. Technical success rate was 87% overall; 97% for main and 62% for accessory RAs respectively. Target vessel patency and freedom from secondary reintervention was 100% and 97% at 30 days and 96% and 91% at one year, respectively. There was no 30-day mortality.

CONCLUSION

Fenestrated physician-modified endografts are safe and effective for the treatment of patients with juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms when incorporating main renal arteries. Limited technical success may be expected when targeting accessory renal arteries, especially when small in diameter. Long-term follow-up is needed to confirm durability of PMEGs for renal artery preservation.

The preservation of accessory renal arteries should be considered the treatment of choice in complex endovascular aortic repair

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate renal function and renal parenchymal length changes secondary to the coverage or preservation of accessory renal arteries (ARA) in complex aortic repair.

METHODS

Single-center retrospective study identifying all patients undergoing fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair (f-b EVAR) who present ARA. Two groups were created, a preserved ARA group, with incorporation of the vessel as a dedicated fenestration or branch in the endograft plan, and a non-preserved ARA group, without incorporation of them. Early >30% decline of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), kidney infarcts and endoleaks (EL) were evaluated. Mid-term results with freedom from kidney shrinkage (defined as length decrease > 10%) at follow-up, freedom from GFR decrease >30% or need for postoperative dialysis at follow-up were also analyzed. Primary assisted patency of incorporated ARA was calculated.

RESULTS

From 2011-2020, 145 patients undergoing complex aortic repair presented with an ARA. After excluding ruptured aneurysms, 33 patients had the ARA preserved with their incorporation into the stentgraft (preserved ARA group), and 99 did not have preservation of them (not-preserved ARA group). There were no statistical differences in demographics or type of aneurysm. Patients in the ARA-preserved group had more ARA (median of 2 per patient vs 1 in the non-preserved ARA group, p 0,01) and bigger ARA (median 4 vs 3 mm in the non-preserved ARA group, p 0,001).Early postoperative worsening >30% of GFR (23 vs 6%, p 0,03) as well as postoperative renal infarction (57% vs 6%, p 0,001) and ARA-related EL (20 vs 0%, p 0,01) were statistically higher for the not-preserved ARA group.Mid-term kidney length showed significant shrinkage in the not-preserved ARA group compared to the ARA preserved group (9,7 vs 0%, p 0,001). Freedom from >30% GFR decline at 2 years was significantly higher for the preserved ARA group (83% vs 47%, p 0,01).Two-years primary assisted patency of incorporated ARA was 94%.

CONCLUSIONS

In complex aortic repair incorporation of ARA is feasible, with low complications and good primary assisted patency at 2 years. It leads to less postoperative early renal dysfunction as well as higher freedom for mid-term renal disfunction and kidney shrinkage.