Aorto-iliac endarterectomy: Old-fashioned or re-newed method?

Aorto-iliac occlusive disease is best treated with endovascular angioplasty/stenting or surgical bypass, depending on disease severity. Aorto-iliac endarterectomy was frequently used until the 1980s. However, it can still be performed in cases of previous failure or contraindication of standard methods. The aim was a retrospective evaluation of a single-center case series of aorto-iliac endarterectomy.

Seven patients at mean age 60±8 years (5768 years) were treated by aorto-iliac endarterectomy between 2013 and 2018. Rutherford categories of leg ischemia were 2 (moderate claudication) 3x, 3 (severe claudication) 2x, 4 (rest pain) and 5 (toe gangrene). The reasons for endarterectomy approach were: late in-stent iliac occlusion in an oncology patient, failure or complication of previous endovascular treatment of short iliac stenosis 2×, high infection risk of prosthesis use in long iliac-femoral occlusion, and short iliac occlusions 3x. Two patients after previous organ transplant were on immunosuppression.

Technical success rate was 100%. There was no peri-operative (30 days) death or amputation. Mean follow-up was 17 months (1.1 month3.3 year). One patient required additional tibial bypass 1 month after endarterectomy to heal foot gangrene. One patient developed symptomatic re-stenosis which was treated with iliac stenting 8 months after procedure. All patients clinically improved and recovered from leg ischemia. Two patients died of tumor with preserved limb 1.1 month and 3.1 years after procedure, respectively. Five remaining patients are asymptomatic with patent revascularization to date.

Aorto-iliac endarterectomy is a vital alternative technique for revascularization in selected patients when other methods seem inappropriate. Key words: endarterectomy - peripheral arterial disease - iliac artery - abdominal aorta.