Endovascular Repair of Complex Aortic Aneurysms

Abstract

Fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) has gained widespread acceptance in patients with complex aortic aneurysms. It has evolved from an alternative to treat elderly and higher risk patients to the first line of treatment in most patients with suitable anatomy, independent of the clinical risk. Currently, these devices are available off-the-shelf (ready to use) and tailored to the patient anatomy with the options of fenestrated, branched and mixed fenestrated, and branched designs. Reports from single and multicenter experiences and systematic reviews have shown lower mortality and morbidity for FB-EVAR compared with historical results of open surgical repair. The main advantages are noted on mortality, respiratory complications, acute kidney injury, and length of hospital stay. The purpose of this article is to review the advances in the endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms exploring the indications for treatment, preoperative evaluation, patient selection, device design, and implantation technique.

Keywords: Complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (CAAA); Complex aortic aneurysms; Endovascular aortic repair; Fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR); Fenestrated-branched endovascular repair; Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA).