Perioperative paraplegia or paraparesis was significantly associated with blockage of the left subclavian artery without revascularization. The clinical significance of this source of collateral perfusion of the spinal cord had not been confirmed previously. Intracranial stroke was associated with lengthy manipulation of wires, catheters, and introducer sheaths within the aortic arch, reflected by a longer duration of the procedure.

This multicenter experience demonstrates acceptable rates for operative mortality and paraplegia after endovascular repair of thoracic aortic disease. Outcome after 30 days and 1 year was more favorable for aortic dissection than for degenerative aneurysm. However, the durability of this technique is currently unknown, and continued use of registries should provide data from long-term follow-up.

Severe infrarenal aortic neck angulation was clearly associated with proximal type I endoleak, while the relationship with stent-graft migration was not clear. Excluder, Zenith, and Talent stent-grafts perform well in patients with severe neck angulation, with only a few differences among devices.

Although the incidence of secondary interventions after endovascular aneurysm repair has substantially decreased in recent years, continuing need for surveillance for device-related complications remains necessary.

Although aneurysm-related mortality and mortality from other causes were similar in both study groups, concomitant iliac artery aneurysms in AAA patients were associated with an increased incidence of distal type I endoleak, iliac limb occlusion, and aneurysm rupture. Therefore, caution is warranted, and efforts should be made to avoid procedural mishaps.

No abstract

Despite persistence of perianeurysmal inflammation in a proportion of patients operative and midterm results of endovascular repair were comparable in the patients with inflammatory and standard AAA.

The GAS was effective in predicting outcome after EVAR. Because its efficacy has also been shown in patients undergoing open repair of AAA, it can be used to aid decisions about treatment in all patients with an AAA.