Endovascular treatment of proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms after previous surgical repair of infrarenal aortic aneurysms by the chimney technique

Objectives To evaluate the use of chimney grafts in the treatment of para-anastomotic aneurysms after previous abdominal aortic aneurysms open repair with short neck. Methods A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of consecutive patients who underwent endovascular repair for proximal aortic para-anastomotic aneurysms following previous open repair for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms was performed. All included patients had a short infrarenal aortic neck (<10 mm) excluding standard endovascular aortic repair. Five patients were symptomatic at the admission needed urgent treatment. Results Twelve patients with para-anastomotic aneurysms underwent placement of chimney grafts. The median time between the original operations to redo endovascular procedure was 11 years (interquartile range, 9.5 years). The mean infrarenal length was 4.3 mm (1–9 mm). A total of 28 chimneys grafts were deployed for the 12 patients. The technical success rate was 91.7%. At a median radiologic follow-up of 16 months (2.0–29.4, 95% confidence interval), one patient died, while two late endoleaks and two reinterventions at one and three years for type Ia endoleak were performed by proximal extension and triple chimney graft placement. Conclusion The results of the present study show that ch-endovascular aortic repair is a safe technique for patients who suffered from proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms and having short neck unsuitable for standard endovascular repair. Longer follow up warranted to evaluate the durability of ch-endovascular aortic repair for this specific indication.