Quality control during endovascular aneurysm repair: monitoring aneurysmal sac pressure and superficial femoral artery flow velocity.

Purpose: To use intraoperative aneurysmal sac pressure measurement and flow monitoring of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) to ensure complete exclusion of the aneurysm from the circulation.

Methods: A 5F catheter was positioned in the aneurysmal sac of 15 consecutive patients undergoing endovascular aortomonoiliac aneurysm repair between February and September 1997. The catheter was connected to an external pressure transducer allowing pressure monitoring throughout the operation and for 24 hours postprocedurally. Flow velocity was monitored in the contralateral SFA by insonation with a 2-MHz Doppler ultrasound probe.

Results: No technical defect was observed in the deployment of 10 endografts, which demonstrated marked reduction in sac pressure and good flow in the lower limb. The mean aneurysm pressure dropped from 123 to 57 mmHg after graft insertion. In 5 cases, monitoring detected problems during the endograft procedure. In 3, incomplete stent deployment was detected by a failure of sac pressure to fall following stent inflation and by the presence of flow in the contralateral femoral artery. In the other 2 cases, a distal endoleak was detected by direct injection of contrast into the sac.

Conclusions: Measuring aneurysm pressure in combination with SFA Doppler flow monitoring can detect complications of endovascular aneurysm repair.