Renal function after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients with baseline chronic renal insufficiency: open vs. endovascular repair.

Background: The aim of this study is to analyze renal function impairment (RFI) after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in patients with preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients with CKD undergoing elective AAA repair between 2008-2015, dividing the sample into two groups: open repair (OR) and endovascular repair (EVAR). The primary outcome was RFI defined by the RIFLE scale, studying Risk (1.5-fold increase in Cr or GFR decline >25% compared to baseline) and kidney injury (doubling of Cr or GFR decline >50%).

Results: Seventy-five patients (OR=29, EVAR=46). Baseline characteristics for OR and EVAR were similar except for age (70.4 vs. 77.2 years; P<0.001), coronary artery disease (31% vs. 56.5%; P=0.04), neck length (12.3 vs. 22.7 mm; P=0.001) and baseline GFR (40.6 vs. 36.9 mL/min; P=0.03). There were no inter-group differences in postoperative RFI: Risk of RFI 13.8% OR vs. 13% EVAR and kidney Injury 6.9% vs. 0% (P=0.19). There were also no differences in RFI at one year. Comparing GFR and Cr after surgery and at 12 months to baseline values, the OR group presented a significant postoperative decline in GFR compared to EVAR group (-3.8% vs. 11.1%; P=0.03), which had recovered at one-year follow-up (16.6% vs. 9.5%; P=0.43), while EVAR group presented with a tendency toward increased Cr during follow-up (-9.2% vs. 2.2%; P=0.08). Multivariate analysis did not identify independent RFI prognostic factors.

Conclusions: Both techniques can be used safely in patients with CKD and baseline CKD is not a limiting factor for either technique. RFI is rare and transient in both groups.