Researchers of a new U.K. study recommend endovascular or endograft repair as a first-line treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), given that the low reintervention rates are comparable to those reported for open surgical repair.
The findings were presented this week at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting in San Diego.
Interventional radiologists analyzed the results of 453 patients, ranging in age from 40 to 93 years, who underwent endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) over an eight-year period. The study looked at the rate of secondary interventions or the need to perform additional procedures to correct complications from a prior treatment, and whether the need for repeat interventions could be predicted by surveillance imaging.
The overall rate of secondary interventions after endovascular repair was 7.2%, which compared favorably to open surgery series.
The researchers, led by Dr. Tarun Sabharwal, an interventional radiologist at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals in London, suggest revising current surveillance of patients' stent grafts by CT to check for delayed complications, especially in light of the added radiation risk for patients.
Related Reading
MRI outperforms MDCT in endoleak detection, May 30, 2008
Which modality for AAA? Depends on what you seek, says ISET speaker, February 5, 2008
3-mm CT slices best for endovascular repair of AAA, January 14, 2008
Aortic wall compliance useful in evaluating AAA risk noninvasively, March 15, 2005
CTA serves as sole pre-op imaging for AAA endograft patients, March 30, 2003
Copyright © 2009 AuntMinnie.com
