Outcomes of concomitant renal reconstruction during open paravisceral aortic aneurysm repair

The objective of this study was to review the outcomes of renal artery revascularizations during open aortic aneurysm repair.

Open abdominal aneurysm repairs performed from 2010 to 2015 at a single institution were reviewed, including type IV thoracoabdominal, suprarenal, and juxtarenal aneurysms. Direct renal reconstruction techniques included eversion endarterectomy, bypass, and vessel reimplantation based on the patient's anatomy. Renal loss was defined by artery occlusion.

The study included 125 patients; of these, 57 patients (46%) had 76 renal reconstructions (38 single, 19 bilateral) performed. Interventions included endarterectomy (n = 21), transaortic stenting (n = 2), reimplantation with (n = 25) or without (n = 17) endarterectomy, bypass (n = 4), and ligation (n = 7). Mean aneurysm size was 6.4 cm, with 23% (n = 29) urgent/emergent operations and 20% (n = 25) having had a prior open or endovascular repair. Overall complication rate was 50%, with significant increase among the group requiring renal intervention, primarily accounted for by a 33% early or late dialysis requirement compared with 16% in patients with no renal revascularization (P = .01). Overall 30-day mortality was 9%, with no difference between groups. Urgent/emergent operation (P < .001) was associated with increased 30-day mortality (24% vs 4% elective procedures), but prior open or endovascular repair (P = .4) was not. Mean follow-up was 26 months, with directed imaging out to a mean of 18 months. Renal intervention (P = .01) and urgent/emergent status (P = .04) were predictive of dialysis requirement; however, among those undergoing intervention, renal loss was not associated with an increase in dialysis requirement (P = .2). Of the directed intervention techniques, renal reimplantation with or without endarterectomy was associated with increased risk of dialysis requirement (P = .005) and renal loss (P = .04) relative to endarterectomy alone. Mean creatinine concentration on late follow-up was 1.4 mg/dL (from 1.3 mg/dL preoperatively) and was not statistically significantly different between those undergoing renal intervention (1.5 mg/dL) and those who did not (1.4 mg/dL).

Renal artery reconstruction at the time of open repair of paravisceral aneurysms is associated with an increased complication rate, primarily driven by occlusion of reimplanted vessels and increased dialysis requirement. As reported by others, nonelective presentation is the greatest determinant of early death or adverse outcomes.