Influence of Atheromatous Lesions in the Ilio-Femoral Segment on the Occurrence of Stentgraft Thrombosis After Endovascular Treatment of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Limb graft thrombosis (LGT) is one of the most frequent severe complications after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of atherosclerosis in ileo-femoral segment on the incidence of LGT as well as to analyze the methods of treatment of LGT. Material and methods. The medical records of 564 consecutive patients operated endovascularly for abdominal aortic aneurysm by means of bifurcated stentgrafts in the Department of General, Vascular and Transplantat Surgery of Medical University of Warsaw were analyzed. The minimal observation time after surgery was one year. Patients with inflammatory, ruptured and falls aneurysms as well as those with the observation period below 12 months were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups: test (B) and control (K) depending on the progression of atherosclerosis in the iliac arteries. Group B included 184 patients (13 women and 171 men), with advanced atherosclerotic lesions of ilio-femoral segment, corresponding to the A - C class in the TASC classification. The remaining 380 patients (25 women and 355 men) without significant blood flow disorders in the iliac arteries, constituted the group K. The computed tomography was done in all patients with acute limb ischemia. Results. During the observation time up to 114 month, the LGT occurred in 43 (7.6%) cases: [group B - 34/184 (18.5%), group K - 9/380 (2.4%)]. The treatment of LGT included an attempt of patency restoring of the prosthesis by means of thrombolysis or thrombectomy combined with stenting. In case of failure the cross-over femoro-femoral bypass was implanted. Thrombectomy was successful in 21 of 40 cases (52.5%), the local thrombolysis was done in 5 patients and it was successful in three cases and in the remaining two patients the thrombectomy was done. In 16 of 24 patients after patency restoring of the prosthesis the angioplastics and stenting was done. In 17 cases the femoro-femoral bypass was implanted. Conclusions. The atherosclerosis in ileo-femoral segment significantly increases the risk of LGT. An attempt of patency restoring (thrombectomia or thrombolysis) combined with stenting and cross-over femoro- femoral bypass implantation in case of failure seems to be the successful method of LGT treatment.