Endovascular treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms has comparable long-term outcomes to open repair with shorter lengths of stay.

OBJECTIVE

During the past two decades, the treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) has undergone a transformation. Although open surgical repair (OR) has remained the reference standard for treatment, endovascular repair (ER) has become an attractive alternative for select patient populations. The objective of the present study was to compare the outcomes of OR vs ER of PAAs at a single institution.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of the medical records for all patients who had undergone repair for PAAs from 1998 to 2017. The baseline patient, anatomic, and operative characteristics and outcomes were compared between the OR and ER cohorts. Intervention and treatment were at the discretion of the surgeon.

RESULTS

From 1998 to 2017, 64 patients had undergone repair of 73 PAAs at our tertiary care center. Of the 69 patients (73 PAAs), 29 (33 PAAs) had undergone OR and 35 (40 PAAs) had undergone ER. When comparing the two cohorts, no statistically significant differences were found in the demographic characteristics such as age, gender, or number of runoff vessels. Significantly more patients in the ER group (n = 21; 53%) than in the OR group (n = 7; 21%) had had hyperlipidemia (P = .008) and a previous carotid intervention (6% vs 0%; P = .029). Overall, the presence of symptoms was similar between the two groups. However, the OR group had a significantly higher number of patients who had presented with acute ischemia (P = .01). The length of stay was significantly shorter for the ER cohort (mean, 1.8 days; range, 1-11 days) than for the OR group (mean, 5.4 days; range, 2-13 days; P < .0001). No significant difference was found in the primary or secondary patency rates between the two groups. In the ER group, good runoff (two or more vessels) was a positive predictor for primary patency at 1 year (odds ratio, 3.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-11.25). However, it was not in the OR group. Postoperative single and/or dual antiplatelet therapy did not affect primary patency in either cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study have demonstrated that ER of PAAs is a safe and durable option with patency rates comparable to those with OR and a decreased length of stay, with good runoff a positive predictor for primary patency in the ER cohort.