Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients with renal transplant

Novel Strategies for the Hostile Iliac Artery during Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Successful endovascular aneurysm repair can be achieved with favorable aortic and iliac arterial anatomies. However, patients with challenging iliac anatomy, such as stenotic, calcified, tortuous arteries, or concomitant iliac artery aneurysms, are commonly encountered. Such a hostile iliac anatomy increases the risk of intraprocedural complications and worsens long-term outcomes. This review addresses various technical options for treating patients with a hostile iliac anatomy, including innovative endovascular solutions, physician-modified endografts, and hybrid procedures. These considerations demonstrate the wide scope of therapies that may be offered to patients with an unfavorable iliac anatomy.

Hybrid Percutaneous Brachiofemoral Shunt and Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in a Kidney Transplant Recipient

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in kidney transplant recipients may cause ischemia in the transplanted kidney. As a result, various techniques have been described for protection of the renal allograft during AAA repair including temporary shunt, extracorporeal bypass, cold renal perfusion, endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), and operation without renal allograft protection. We successfully treated a 56-year-old man, a case of kidney transplantation with AAA, using a temporary hybrid percutaneous brachiofemoral shunt using vascular prosthesis with a long 7-French (Fr) catheter sheath introducer (CSI) in the aortic arch via the right brachial artery and 8 Fr CSI in the right femoral artery that were connected together with a 7 Fr guiding catheter, before aortic cross-clamping and repair of AAA using a Dacron tube graft. The patient recovered well from the surgery without any complication and was discharged on the 6^th postoperative day. To our knowledge, this is the first report of using a temporary hybrid percutaneous brachiofemoral shunt for renal allograft protection in AAA repair surgery in a patient with kidney transplantation, and we think that this temporary shunt is an easy, safe, and rapid method for renal allograft protection from ischemia.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Renal and Liver Transplant Recipients

BACKGROUND

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in patients with organ transplant remains a challenge. We looked at AAA repair in patients with organ transplants at our tertiary liver and kidney transplant unit.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was undertaken from January 2008 to July 2018. We looked at patient demographics, type of repair, and technical success including reinterventions, perioperative transplant organ function, and 30-day and 1-year survival rate. Eight of 662 patients who underwent AAA repair had a solid organ transplant. Of these, 5 were kidney transplants, 2 liver transplants, and 1 had kidney and liver transplant; 75% were male; and average age was 63.4 (range: 49-83). All patients had asymptomatic AAAs, and 6 were treated with standard endovascular repair, 1 standard repair with iliac branch device, and 1 open repair. Adjunctive techniques such as CO₂ angiograms, deployment of main body through contralateral iliac, low-profile sheaths, custom-made stent grafts, and temporary axillo-femoral shunting were used to protect transplant organs. Thirty-day survival was 100% with 1 death at 5 months from liver failure, and 1 patient has a persistent type-2 endoleak 3 years after the procedure.

CONCLUSION

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients with organ transplants can be undertaken using adjunctive endovascular and open surgical techniques.

Management of Aortoiliac Aneurysms with Atypical Renal Artery Anatomy

BACKGROUND

Renal artery anomalies occur at a rate of 1-2% and present a challenge to vascular surgeons performing aortic surgery. We describe adjuncts used to manage such anatomic variants.

METHODS

A single surgeon registry of all abdominal aortic aneurysms repaired in an academic center was retrospectively reviewed. Patients with prior renal transplants, congenital pelvic kidneys, or horseshoe kidneys were included. Open repair was reserved for patients with no endovascular or hybrid repair options.

RESULTS

Over an 8-year period, 18 patients were identified (renal transplant n = 9, horseshoe kidney n = 3, congenital pelvic kidney n = 6). All transplant patients were treated with endovascular repair. Four required cross-femoral bypasses, 1 for retrograde allograft perfusion after aorto-uni-iliac (AUI) procedure to the contralateral external iliac artery and 3 for contralateral limb perfusion after endograft extension into iliac artery ipsilateral to allograft. Three transplant patients required carotid access due to severe iliofemoral occlusive disease or allograft origin off the internal iliac artery. Two horseshoe kidney patients underwent open repair with direct reimplantation of accessory renal arteries, whereas 1 underwent endovascular repair with exclusion of an isthmus branch. Of the congenital single/pelvic kidney cohort, 2 underwent open repair with renal reimplantation, 2 underwent endovascular aneurysm repair, 1 was treated with AUI and cross-femoral bypass, and one was treated with a staged iliorenal bypass and subsequent fenestrated endovascular repair. Intravascular ultrasound was used to minimize contrast use in patients with chronic renal insufficiency (Cr > 1.5 mg/dL, n = 6). Over a mean follow-up of 31 months (range, 1-110), there were no aortic deaths or reintervention, no decline in renal function (measured by serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate), and 100% patency of the preserved renal arteries.

CONCLUSIONS

Atypical renal anatomy should not preclude repair of aortic aneurysms. Repair of such aneurysms is safe and achieves good long-term outcomes with the use of the described techniques.