CT-angiography of abdominal aortic aneurysms after transfemoral endovascular aneurysm management.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate short-term effect of Transfemoral Endovascular Aneurysm Management (TEAM) on aortic diameters and volumes after aneurysm exclusion, using CT-angiography.

DESIGN

Analysis of preoperative, 1 week postoperative and 6 months postoperative CT measurements.

SETTING

University Hospital.

MATERIALS

Nine patients treated with an endovascular tube prosthesis.

CHIEF OUTCOME MEASURES

True cross-sectional diameters of the aorta and the aneurysm, volume of the infrarenal aortic lumen, of the thrombus and of the iliac arteries and length of the aorta and of the endovascular prosthesis.

MAIN RESULTS

CT-angiography detected shrinkage of the aneurysm in seven patients. Aneurysm growth was observed in one patient with persistent flow outside the graft and in one patient with fully thrombosed aneurysm sac. In the two patients with increasing thrombus volume, the volume of the aortic lumen decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Although successful aneurysm exclusion can be confirmed by maximum aneurysm diameter measurement, changes in aortic lumen volume and thrombus volume may be more appropriate to discriminate successful from failed exclusion.