Type IIIb endoleak after elective endovascular aneurysm repair: a systematic review

The aim of this article is to investigate the presentation, etiology, management and outcomes of type IIIb endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Electronic bibliographic databases were searched to identify published reports of type IIIb endoleak after EVAR, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards.

In total 33 articles were identified reporting on a total of 50 patients spanning 19 years of EVAR (1998-2017). Some 11 device-types were used. The median time from implantation to intervention was 27 months (0-168). There was a significant aneurysm sac expansion in 69% of reported cases. Thirteen patients (26%) presented with aneurysm rupture. A definitive diagnosis of type IIIb endoleak made on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in only 20% of cases. Proposed failure modes included suture breakage, graft erosion by stents, iatrogenic, graft infection and presumed manufacturing faults. Endoleak location was in the main body in 81% of reported cases. Almost one third (31%) of patients were treated with open repair. The remaining patients were treated with endovascular techniques or hybrid procedures. Some novel off-label endovascular solutions were proposed to maintain a bifurcated configuration. Thirty-day mortality in patients treated for aneurysm rupture was 50%. The 30-day mortality rate in non- rupture cases was 2% (endovascular 0% treatment, open 2%).

Type IIIb endoleak is a serious condition associated with a significant risk of rupture. Definitive diagnosis is challenging and has been described in almost all conventional devices. Most patients can be treated successfully by endovascular means, though maintaining a bifurcated configuration may require non-standard techniques or off-label use.