Outcomes of FEVAR and BEVAR to Treat Secondary Type 1 Endoleak After EVAR: A Prospective Multicentre Study

Ten percent of the population above 60 years develops an aortic abdominal aneurysm. In case of rupture, this pathology leads to death in more than 70% of the cases. Over the past ten years, Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) has been the most used technique for elective treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in patients with a favorable anatomy. But despite excellent postoperative results with a significant reduction of mortality , a close follow-up of these patients is mandatory to detect any potential endoleaks particularly in patients with a long-life expectancy. Failed Endovascular Infrarenal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) with development of a proximal endoleak exposes the patient to the risk of rupture and must be treated. This type of endoleaks are often related to dilatation of the proximal neck of the AAA, and of the suprarenal aorta, making the use of any aortic fixation system, or uncovered stent ineffective. In these cases, open surgical conversion with stent graft removal is possible but at the price of a significant morbidity and mortality. The alternative is the use of a fenestrated or branched stent graft (F/BEVAR) extending the proximal sealing zone to a non-diseased aorta. The goal of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility, early and midterm outcomes of (F/BEVAR) in patients with a proximal endoleak following a standard EVAR. The investigators performed a multicentre study between January 2010 and December 2019 in 8 French University Centres which included 85 patients with 3 years of post operative follow-up.