Suprarenal fixation is associated with worse midterm renal function after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair compared with infrarenal fixation

Several reports have indicated that suprarenal (SR) fixation may impair renal function after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). However, most were short-term or at most, 1-year observational studies; therefore, the midterm effects on renal function remain unclear. This study aimed to identify predictors of midterm renal dysfunction after EVAR and compare renal outcomes in patients after EVAR with SR and infrarenal (IR) fixation.

A total of 467 patients who underwent EVAR of nonruptured IR abdominal aortic aneurysm between 2007 and 2014 were reviewed in a prospectively collected database. Patients on hemodialysis at baseline were excluded. Among the remaining patients, those with 3-year laboratory testing were included in this study. Patients who developed acute kidney injury were excluded from the late renal function estimation. Predictors of 3-year renal function decline were estimated using logistic regression analysis. In addition, patients undergoing EVAR with IR (IR group) and SR fixation devices (SR group) were propensity matched by age, sex, baseline renal function, baseline aneurysm diameter, comorbidities, smoking habits, and regular use of medicines that may act on kidney function. Changes in renal function after surgery were compared between the IR group and the SR group.

During the study period, 237 patients (102 IRs and 135 SRs) were followed up with laboratory testing 3 years after surgery. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the use of a SR fixation device was independently predictive of a more than 20% decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate at 3 years after EVAR (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-3.58; P = .011). Eleven patients who developed acute kidney injury (1 IR and 10 SRs) were excluded from the subsequent analysis. After propensity score matching, 87 pairs were selected (mean age, 77.2 ± 6.3 years; 151 males [86.8%]). The mean follow-up duration was 5.5 ± 1.8 years. In the SR group, estimated glomerular filtration rate at 3 years after surgery decreased significantly more than that in the IR group (mean of 17.8% vs 11.6%, respectively; P = .034).

This study suggests that, compared with EVAR with IR endograft fixation, EVAR with SR endograft fixation is associated with worse outcomes for midterm renal function.