Delayed complications following EVAR

Abstract

More than a decade after the first clinical attempts, two large randomized studies have proven that endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) provides immediate advantages over open repair. In the long run, however, a relatively high number of reinterventions is necessary to improve the long-term efficacy of EVAR, which may outweigh the early benefits. Since EVAR is gaining popularity in the medical community and in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), it is expected that a growing number of patients will present with delayed complications requiring some kind of reinterventions. For the patient's safety, vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists involved in EVAR must be well aware of these complications and the ways to overcome them. We began our endovascular program for AAA in 1994 and currently follow 485 patients with a variety of manufactured grafts. In this article we describe the delayed complications observed with EVAR, their mechanisms, favoring factors, and ways to treat them.