Superior mesenteric artery outcomes after fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair

The Zenith (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind) fenestrated endovascular graft may be designed with single-wide scallops or large fenestrations to address the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Misalignment of the SMA with an unstented scallop or a large fenestration is possible. This study assessed SMA outcomes after fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (FEVAR).

During an 18-month period, 47 FEVARs were performed at a single institution. For analysis, patients were grouped according to unstented (n = 23) vs stented (n = 24) SMA scallops/fenestrations. The Institutional Review Board approved this single-institution observational study. Because this was a retrospective review of the data, patient consent was unnecessary for the study.

Technical success for FEVAR was 100%. The median follow-up period was 7.7 months (range, 1-16 months). Nine of 21 patients (43%) in the unstented group had some degree of misalignment of the SMA (range, 9%-71%). Among these, four patients (44%) developed complications: three SMA stenoses and one occlusion. The mean peak systolic velocity in patients with and without SMA misalignment was 317.8 cm/s vs 188.4 cm/s (P < .08), respectively. No misalignment occurred in the stented group, and only one of 19 patients (5%) developed an SMA stenosis that required angioplasty. Overall, patients with unstented SMAs had significantly more adverse events directly attributable to SMA misalignment than the stented group (44% vs 5%, respectively; P < .05).

Misalignment of the SMA with the use of unstented unreinforced scallops or fenestrations occurs frequently. Routine stenting of single-wide and large fenestrations, when feasible, may be a safer option for patients undergoing FEVAR.