Percutaneous thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: techniques and outcomes

Endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) has become a widely accepted treatment modality. The conventional approach of an EVAR involves bilateral groin incisions to expose the femoral arteries followed by introducer sheath placement, which is typically performed with the use of general or epidural anesthesia. As technology trends toward less invasive methods and sheath sizes become smaller, the use of a total percutaneous approach to endovascular repair of aortic pathology is becoming more common. In this review, we present a brief history of percutaneous closure devices for common femoral artery access, factors important in patient selection, the technique of performing a percutaneous EVAR procedure, early and late complications, and overall outcomes of percutaneous approaches for the endovascular treatment of aortic pathology.