Endovascular Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with Hostile Artery Access: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: The objective of this study is to document our experience using low-profile endografts for the endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in cases where access arteries are challenging, commonly referred to as hostile access arteries.

Methods: Data regarding patients with narrow or tortuous access arteries who underwent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) using low-profile endografts at 3 tertiary medical centers between January 2020 and December 2022 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. A total of 76 patients were enrolled in the study. The primary endpoints included technical success, occurrence of endoleaks, endograft occlusion, and any device- or procedure-related major adverse events. Secondary endpoints were assessed for endograft migration, endograft fracture, access site complications, and aneurismal sac shrinkage.

Results: The mean follow-up duration was 28.1 ± 9.0 months (range, 14.0-54.0). Among the patients, 32 (42.1%) had narrow artery access (diameter ≤6.0 mm), 29 (38.2%) had access arteries characterized by tortuosity, and 15 (19.7%) patients presented with both narrow and tortuous access arteries. Technical success was achieved in 73 (96.1%) cases. A total of 4 (5.2%) patients received reintervention due to endograft occlusion. During follow-up, a total of 8 (10.5%) type II endoleaks were observed during follow-up without intervention, and the endoleak disappeared in the follow-up period. Abdominal aortic aneurysm-sac shrinkage and stability were observed in 25 (32.9%) and 51 (67.1%) cases, respectively. The overall survival rate was 98.7%. The perioperative and follow-up outcomes for the groups categorized by 'Narrow arteries', 'Tortuous arteries', and 'Narrow and Tortuous arteries' did not show statistically significant differences when compared to each other.

Conclusions: This preliminary investigation indicates that the use of low-profile endografts is associated with safety and effectiveness within the observed period.