Long-term results of endovascular aortic repair for thoracic pseudoaneurysms after previous surgical coarctation repair.

OBJECTIVES: Late aneurysm formation has been reported after every type of surgical coarctation repair in up to 10%, with rupture of such aneurysms being responsible for approximately 7% of all deaths. Secondary surgical repair carries a significant mortality (up to 15%) and morbidity rate (recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis ∼20%, phrenic nerve injury ∼5%). According to the positive experience with endovascular therapy of atherosclerotic thoracic aortic aneurysms, it is worthwhile to evaluate the concept of minimally invasive endovascular stent grafting for secondary repair of postsurgical aneurysms.

METHODS: Data were collected prospectively on consecutive patients who presented with postcoarctation false aneurysms.

RESULTS: Since 1999, in a cohort of 210 endovascularly treated patients with thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies, four patients with postcoarctation false aneurysms underwent endoluminal stent-graft placement. All of these procedures were technically successful without 30-day or one-year procedure-related mortality. After a follow-up of 71 months in median (range, 7-93 months; mean, 60.5 months), all aneurysms remain excluded without any endoleak.

CONCLUSIONS: According to the current limited experience of small series, the endoluminal repair seems to be a promising alternative to redo open operations for postsurgical thoracic aneurysms associated with coarctation repair. Long-term follow-up of our small cohort confirmed the durability of the stent-graft treatment.