Purpose: To determine the fate of the infrarenal aneurysm neck and suprarenal aorta after endovascular exclusion of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).
Methods: Thirty-four patients underwent endovascular AAA repair between January 1994 and December 1995 using custom-made stent-grafts constructed from polyester graft material and modified self-expanding Gianturco Z-stents sutured to the graft orifices. Thirty-one patients were available for follow-up. Pre- and postimplantation diameters were measured using spiral computed tomography in the infrarenal aneurysm neck and the suprarenal aorta at the level of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA).
Results: The mean follow-up time was 25 months. There was a significant increase of the diameter of the infrarenal aneurysm neck (+ 1.65 mm, p = 0.002), but not in the aorta at the level of the SMA (+0.52 mm, p = 0.100). There was no difference in the change in diameter in the infrarenal neck in the group with a stent adjacent to the level of measurement (n = 20) compared with the group without an adjacent stent (n = 11, p = 0.790). There was no correlation between preimplantation size of the infrarenal neck and its diameter change (r = 0.14, p = 0.488). There was no correlation (r = 0.10, p = 0.603) or association (chi-square test, p = 0.211) between aortic diameter change at the level of the SMA and the infrarenal neck.
Conclusions: This investigation shows a significant dilatation of the infrarenal aneurysm neck, but not in the suprarenal aorta, after endovascular AAA repair with this device. The clinical significance of these findings is unclear. Whether such a dilatation in the infrarenal aneurysm neck may affect the long-term attachment of stent-grafts remains to be shown in the future.