Initial Experience in the Treatment of Extensive Iliac Artery Aneurysms With the Nellix Aneurysm Sealing System

To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the Nellix prosthesis in the treatment of common iliac artery aneurysms.

Between May 2013 and June 2015, 230 patients underwent implantation of the Nellix device at 2 institutions. Fifty of these patients (mean age 76 years; 35 men) were identified as having 60 common iliac artery aneurysms (CIAAs) with a median diameter of 4 cm (range 3.5-7). The majority of patients had aortoiliac aneurysms (5, 70%), 10 (20%) had isolated CIAAs, and 5 (10%) had iliac anastomotic aneurysms after aortoiliac bypass. In 20 patients, the iliac aneurysm was the indication for the intervention; in the other 30 patients, the endovascular iliac repair was an adjunct procedure to endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS). An iliac branch device (IBD) was used when feasible to preserve flow to the internal iliac artery.

Seventeen (34%) patients underwent elective implantation of the Nellix graft in combination with an IBD, 33 (66%) patients underwent Nellix sealing of the CIAA using 1 (n=5), 2 (n=22), or 3 Nellix grafts (2 bilateral grafts and 1 graft as an extension to the external iliac artery in 6 patients). The technical success rate was 100%, and no graft-related complications were reported postoperatively. No buttock claudication, reinterventions, graft thrombosis, or endoleaks were observed during a mean follow-up of 12 months.

Our initial experience demonstrates that Nellix grafts are feasible and safe for the treatment of extensive iliac artery aneurysms. The long-term durability of these grafts should be validated in larger patient cohorts before this promising alternative endovascular technique can gain widespread acceptance.