This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the
Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has emerged as a better alternative to conventional open surgery for AAAs. The purpose of the review is to define the improvement in the clinical management of the patient with hostile neck AAAs due to the introduction of new endografts while giving a thorough description of their instructions for use (IFUs), main characteristics and part sizing, reporting their outcomes from clinical studies and categorizing their usability.
A MEDLINE search was conducted using keyword-specific combinations. Clinical studies were searched
We retrieved 640 records describing Alto, Ovation iX, Treovance, Aorfix, Anaconda, Conformable, and Endurant II/IIs endografts. Aortic necks >60° can be managed with Anaconda, Aorfix, and Conformable, which can treat up to 90° necks requiring ≥15 mm (Anaconda ≥20 mm), and Treovance, which is eligible for necks ≤75° with ≥15 mm length. Ovation's innovation of combining polymer-filled O-rings with integral anchors can treat conical necked AAAs giving Ovation iX and Alto an advantage. Short-necked AAAs can be treated with Alto, eligible for necks as short as 7 mm, and Endurant II, which can treat ≥10 mm necks or 4 mm if used in conjunction with the EndoAnchors system, respectively. Alto and Conformable report a 100% technical success rate, absence of AAA-related death, migration, ruptures, and limb occlusion during follow-up. Endurant II and Ovation iX report >99% technical success rate and are almost free from the AAA mortality rate, ruptures, migration, and limb occlusion, while Ovation iX has a high rate of sac dilation (15.5%) in a 5-year follow-up. Anaconda is slightly better than Aorfix and Treovance, which are related to the lowest technical success rates, 98.3%, 96.3%, and 96%, respectively. Aorfix has the highest AAA mortality rate, 4% in a 60 month follow-up.
Most new generation endografts described have comparable results. They broaden the eligibility of patients for EVAR due to their unique technical characteristics described. There is a lack of comparative studies for newer endografts and postmarket clinical studies with long-term results concerning the most recently approved devices described, Alto and Conformable.
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An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is defined as a dilation to more than 3.0 cm in the infrarenal aorta. In men, the threshold for considering elective AAA repair is recommended to have ≥5.5 cm diameter, while in women with acceptable surgical risk, the threshold for considering elective AAA repair may be considered to have ≥5.0 cm diameter (
There are two main options for the treatment of AAA: open surgical repair and endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). Both options achieve a significant reduction in short- and long-term mortality (
Since endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of infrarenal AAAs was first pioneered by Parodi et al. (
Engineering developments in endovascular materials, along with the acquisition of improved technical skills by vascular surgeons and radiologists, have made EVAR results in patients with appropriate anatomy comparable to those of conventional open surgical repair (
All EVAR endografts stipulate anatomical criteria for treatment in their Instructions For Use (IFUs) (
Mostly common IFU criteria include infrarenal neck length of at least 10–15 mm, infrarenal neck diameter of 18–32 mm, infrarenal neck angulation <60°, and iliac access diameter of at least 6 mm. Other criteria frequently include limits on neck conicity, the volume of mural thrombus, and calcification. Patients with these criteria may be ineligible for open surgery due to comorbidities, and this is the reason patients may be treated with infra-renal EVAR outside of the recommended IFU in such cases. However, patients treated outside the IFU need a close follow-up, especially in the long term (
The safety and efficacy of these surgical procedures with unfavorable proximal neck remain controversial for conventional devices due to the inadequate sealing and the need for intraoperative or late endovascular adjunctive procedures. However, improvements in endovascular technology and the experience and expertise of endovascular specialists have recently modified the management of AAA patients with an improvement in perioperative outcomes and late results (
Nowadays, the endovascular treatment of AAAs in patients with severe proximal neck angulation is considered technically safe considering the use of newer endografts. Although angulation remains a feature that could increase intraoperative neck complications and require immediate adjunct neck procedures, one study reported that there is no significant difference in overall survival or the proportion of patients who remained reintervention-free at 5 years (
The purpose of the review is to to define the improvement in the clinical management of the patient with hostile neck AAAs due to the introduction of new endografts that are counter-angled, short, or conical AAA necks, traditionally defined as HNA.
A MEDLINE research using its PubMed interface was conducted (last search 25 December 2021); this retrieved 640 results from September 1994 to December 2021. The search strategy using keyword combinations is shown in
PRISMA flow chart.
Search strategy of keyword combinations.
Search strategy | Results | |
---|---|---|
1 | (EVAR OR “stent graft*” OR “HNA” OR “hostile neck” OR endografts OR AAA OR “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm"[MeSH Terms]) | 31.275 |
2 | (“stent graft*” OR endograft* OR EVAR OR endovascular OR alto OR anaconda OR conformable OR ovation OR aorfix OR treovance OR “endurant II*”) | 779.154 |
3 | (“hostile neck anatomy” OR “hostile neck” OR hostile OR angulated OR hyperangulated OR “short neck” OR “neck thrombus” OR conical) | 39.732 |
4 | (“Abdominal Aort*” OR “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm” OR “AAA”) | 60.923 |
5 | thoracic[Title/Abstract] | |
6 | #1 AND #2 AND #3 AND #4 | 644 |
7 | NOT #5 | |
8 | #6 AND #7 | 615 |
*is a tool of searching for multiple word endings at once in databases.
Endografts sizing of last-generation endografts capable of dealing with hostile aortic necks.
Device | Aortic body sizes |
Iliac limb sizes |
Aortic extension sizes |
Iliac extension sizes |
|||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diameter(mm) |
Length (mm) | Diameter (mm) | Length (mm) | Diameter (mm) | Length (mm) | Diameter (mm) | Length (mm) | ||||||||
Alto | 20–34 | 80 | 14 Proximal |
80–160 | ‐ | ‐ | 10–28 | 45 | |||||||
Anaconda | 21.5–34 | 65 | 12 Proximal |
80–180 | 19.5–34 | 40 | Flared extensions | 80–130 | |||||||
10–17 | |||||||||||||||
12–23 | |||||||||||||||
Tapered extensions | |||||||||||||||
13–23 Proximal | |||||||||||||||
12–17 Distal | |||||||||||||||
Straight extensions | |||||||||||||||
10–18 | 60–140 | ||||||||||||||
Aorfix | 24–31 | 81, 96, 111, 126 | 10–20 (Ipsilateral and Contralateral limb) |
Ipsilateral limb | Contralateral limb | 24–31 | 38 | 10–20 | 51, 82 | ||||||
63, 80, 97 | 56–106 (7 sizes for any aortic body length) | ||||||||||||||
Conformable | 20–36 | 120–200 (Overall including ipsilateral limb length) | 12–14,5 | 120–200 (Overall including aortic body length) | 20–36 | 45 | 10–27 |
70–140 | |||||||
Endurant II | II | IIs | AUI | II | IIs | AUI | 16 Proximal |
82–199 | 23–36 | 49, 70 | 10–28 | 82 | |||
23–36 Proximal |
124– 166 | 103 | 102 | ||||||||||||
Ovation iX | 20–34 | 80 | 14 Proximal |
80–160 | - | - | 10–28 | 45 | |||||||
Treovance | 20–36 | 80–120 (Overall including limb length) | 14 | 80–120 (Overall including limb length) | 20–36 | 40, 55, 70 | (i) 8–14 |
80–180 |
|||||||
Straight extensions | |||||||||||||||
8–12 | 80 |
Diameter of extension must be ≥ distal diameter of the iliac limb.
The technical features collected for each device were:(1) main characteristics (graft material, stent material, stent shape, radiopaque markers, sutures material, design, proximal fixation, fixation mechanism); (2) IFU (aortic landing zone length/diameter/angulation, iliac landing zone length/diameter, minimal access diameter of main/iliac body); and (3) endograft sizing (aortic body available diameters/lengths, iliac limb available diameters/lengths, aortic extension available diameters/lengths, iliac extension available diameters/lengths).
Anaconda is a Terumo Aortic (Vascutek Ltd., Inchinnan, UK) AAA stent graft system approved by the European Union (CE mark) that consists of three components. The stent graft is built of ultrathin woven polyester fabric and a nitinol skeleton of a single-stranded nitinol wire that forms individual circular stents as it turns multiple times around it. It is topped with a dual-ring stent imitating the Anaconda snake. Numerous radiopaque tantalum markers are positioned throughout the prosthesis's length. The prosthesis is attached to the aorta through four pairs of nitinol hooks. The iliac legs are successively put into their positions (docking zones) with a 25-mm overlap. The primary body delivery method is a flexible thermoplastic fluoropolymer sheath reinforced internally with a very flexible metallic braided catheter shaft terminating in a tapered flexible top tip that improves the device's trackability
Aorfix™ is a Lombard Medical (Oxfordshire, UK) stent graft approved by FDA in 2013. The stent graft is a two-piece system consisting of (1) the main body incorporating an ipsilateral limb component and a contralateral socket and (2) a contralateral plug-in limb. It is mainly used for challenging neck anatomy as one of the few devices currently eligible for angulated necks up to 90°, thus broadening the patient eligibility for EVAR when first introduced. It employs woven polyester fabric and a continuous electropolished nitinol wire in comparison to older Z stents. Device's main characteristics are described in
Main characteristics of last-generation endografts capable of dealing with hostile aortic necks (
Device | Graft Material | Stent Material | Stent Shape | Radiopaque Markers | Sutures Material | Design | Proximal Fixation | Fixation Mechanism |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alto | Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) | Nitinol |
Z-shaped | Nitinol | - | Tri-modular | Suprarenal | Eight integral anchors and PTFE sealing rings |
Anaconda | Woven polyester | Nitinol | Circular | Tantalum | - | Tri-modular | Infrarenal | Four pairs of nitinol hooks |
Aorfix | Woven polyester | Nitinol | Spiral | Tantalum | Woven polyester | Bi-modular | Transrenal | Four sets of nitinol hooks (8 coplanar hooks) |
Conformable | Expanded |
Nitinol | Z-shaped | Gold | - | Bi-modular | Infrarenal | Nitinol |
Endurant II/IIs | Polyester | Nitinol | M-shaped (main body) |
Platinum–iridium alloy w/ platinum “e” marker | Polyester and polyethylene | Bi-modular or tri-modular | Suprarenal | Anchor pins with optional EndoAnchors |
Ovation | Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) | Nitinol | Z-shaped | Nitinol | - | Tri-modular | Suprarenal | Integral anchors and PTFE sealing rings |
Treovance | Woven polyester | Nitinol | Serpentine shaped | Platinum (90%) – iridium (10%) | Braided polyester | Tri-modular | Suprarenal and infrarenal | Suprarenal and infrarenal barbs |
*Nickel-Titanium Alloy.
GORE® EXCLUDER® Conformable™ AAA endoprosthesis is used to treat infrarenal AAAs endovascularly. It is one of the most recent FDA-approved stent grafts obtaining its approval in December 2020. The endograft is a multicomponent system of bimodular design composed of a trunk-ipsilateral limb endoprosthesis and a contralateral limb endoprosthesis. In addition, in cases that require trunk or limb extension, an aortic extension endoprosthesis for proximal extension and an iliac extension endoprosthesis for distal extension are available. Each component's graft material is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), which is supported along its external surface by a nitinol (nickel–titanium alloy) wire. At the leading (proximal) end of the trunk, nitinol anchors and an ePTFE/FEP sealing cuff are positioned, whereas a sealing cuff is located at the leading (proximal) end of the aortic extender. Each component has a gold radiopaque marking to facilitate identification. The endoprostheses are constrained on the delivery catheter using an ePTFE/FEP sleeve. The deployment mechanism has been updated to a three-step process, allowing the stent graft to be positioned up to three times prior to ultimate release from the delivery catheter. The initial step is to deploy the body and contralateral limb. A constricting loop around the graft's body enables the stent graft to be repositioned for level and orientation. The second step is to remove the constricting wire and loop (after a correct proximal position is confirmed). Third, the ipsilateral limb is deployed separately. The C3 system enables the proximal end of the endoprosthesis to be reconstrained following implantation, allowing the device to be rotated or shifted cranially or caudally as necessary. Repositioning the endograft may permit contralateral gate cannulation and placement closer to the lowest renal artery, thereby reducing the risk of inadequate sealing and subsequent complications. According to the IFU for this specific device, AAA patients with an infrarenal aortic neck diameter of 16–32 mm, a minimum aortic neck length of 15 mm, and a proximal aortic neck angle of up to 90° are eligible. In less severe angulation of up to 60°, the required minimum neck length decreases to a minimum of 10 mm. Iliac artery diameters between 8 and 25 mm and an iliac distal vascular seal zone length of at least 10 mm are also required (
The Medtronic Endurant II™ (Medtronic Cardiovascular, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) obtained its approval in 2012. The main body is offered in two configurations: bifurcated Endurant II, which has a bimodular configuration, and bifurcated Endurant Iis, which has a trimodular configuration. Both configurations have suprarenal fixation and are composed of M/Z-shaped nitinol stents sewn to a polyester fabric graft. Additionally, the suprarenal stent has anchor pins to secure the stent graft inside the aorta above the renal arteries without blocking them with graft fabric. All stents on the ipsilateral limb are sewed to the outside of the fabric in the Endurant II bifurcated arrangement, resulting in a smooth inner lumen. The short form (Endurant Iis) enables the implantation of longer and more flexible targeted iliac limbs. Stents on the contralateral limb are sewed to the inside of the graft in all sizes. An Aorto-Uni-Iliac (AUI) main body is also available, enabling the choice of a two-piece graft configuration. The AUI device is indicated for the endovascular treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic or aortoiliac aneurysms only in patients whose anatomy disqualifies the use of a bifurcated device. The proximal end of the limb configuration deploys within the limbs of the bifurcated configuration, while the distal end deploys into the iliac artery. The endograft part sizing is described in
Clinical outcomes of endografts for hostile neck anatomy (
Device | Alto ( |
Anaconda ( |
Aorfix ( |
Conformable ( |
Endurant II ( |
Ovation iX ( |
Treovance ( |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Follow-up (months) | 12 | 60 | 12–60 | 12 | 12–60 | 60 | 12 | |
Technical success rate | 100% | 98.3% | 96.3% | 100% | 99.3% | 99.7%–100% | 96% | |
Secondary intervention | 2.7% | 21.9% | 1%–17% | 2.5% | 11% | 7.6%–20.3% | 3.5%–4.7% | |
Mortality rate | 30-day | 0% | 1.7% | 1.8% (median of groups) | 0% | 0% | 0.3%–0.6% | 0% |
AAA related | 0% | 2.3% | 4% in 5 years follow-up | 0% | 0.8% | 0.6%–0.7% | 0% | |
All causes | 4% | 34.1% | 7%–31% | 3.8% | 17.7% | 21.1%–21.7% | 1.4%–6.4% | |
Endoleaks | I | 1.3% | 5.7% | 0%–1% (combined with type III) | 0% | 0.8% | 3.1% |
0.6%–1.5% |
II | 48.3% | 22.7% | 9%–13% | 43.6% | 16.1% | 10.5%–43% | 15.3%–20.1% | |
III | 0% | N/A | 0%–1% (combined with type I) | 0% | 0% | 0.6% |
0% | |
Ruptures | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0.6% | 0% | |
Migration (>10 mm) | 0% | 1.7% | 1–4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
Limb occlusion (thrombosis or stenosis) | 0% | 7.9% | 1.83% only in year-1 | 0% | 4.2% (12 months) | 0.4%–4.3% | 0.7%–2% | |
Aneurysm sac diameter | Reduction (>5 mm) | 21.3% | 32.4% | 42%–61% | N/A | 63.9% | 52.4%–58% | 46.3%–54.1% |
Increase (>5 mm) | 1.6% | 6.8% | 1%–12% | 1.5% | 6% | 15.1%–15.5% | 0%–2.6% |
In this table, it has been a try to summarize clinical outcomes of different endografts from different clinical studies. Note that the studies have different patient selection criteria and may differ in follow-up periods; some patients may not have HNA, and others may have been treated outside the IFU (always a minority).
Ovation iX™ is an Endologix Inc. (Santa Rosa, CA, USA) stent graft approved by FDA in 2012. This bifurcated device is of trimodular design with the main aortic body, iliac limbs, and the two (contralateral and ipsilateral) limb extensions. The Endologix Ovation stent graft is a low-profile endovascular device that was created to address the constraints of earlier stent grafts by fitting a broader range of iliac access and a wider variety of patients since it utilizes a 14-Fr hydrophilic catheter for the main aortic body and 13–14 Fr for the iliac limb prostheses. The 14-Fr catheter has the lowest profile of any catheter currently available. A network of inflated rings filled with a unique low-viscosity biocompatible liquid polymer that hardens during deployment provides proximal closure and support. The iliac limbs/extensions are made up of a PTFE-encased nitinol stent. Separate delivery catheters are packed with graft components. The device is placed, and the sheath is withdrawn during deployment. The proximal stent is subsequently deployed using the delivery handle's stent release knobs. An autoinjector is then used to provide the fill polymer
Instructions For Use (IFUs) of last-generation endografts capable of dealing with hostile aortic necks (
Device | Proximal aortic landing zone |
Distal iliac landing zone |
Access (minimum vessel diameter)* |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Infrarenal landing neck length | Aortic neck diameter | Aortic neck angulation | Iliac neck length | Iliac neck diameter | Main body | Iliac limbs | |
Alto | ≥7 mm | 16–30 mm | ≤60° | ≥10 mm | 8–25 mm | 5 mm (15 Fr) | 4 mm (12 Fr) |
Anaconda | ≥15mm | 16–31 mm |
≤90° | ≥20 mm | 8.5–21 mm | 6.667 mm (20 Fr) | 6 mm (18 Fr) |
Aorfix | ≥15 mm | 19–29 mm | ≤90° | ≥15 mm | 9–19 mm | 6 mm (18 Fr) | 5.333 mm (16 Fr) |
Conformable | ≥15 mm |
16–32 mm | ≤90° | ≥10 mm | 8–25 mm | 5 mm (15 Fr) | 4 mm (12 Fr) |
Endurant II/IIs | ≥10 mm or |
19–32 mm | ≤60° | ≥15 mm | 8–25 mm | 6 mm (18 Fr) |
4.667 mm (14 Fr) |
Ovation iX | ≥13 mm | 16–30 mm | ≤45° if proximal neck length <10 mm |
≥10 mm | 8–25 mm | 4.667 mm (14 Fr) | 4.333 mm (13 Fr) |
Treovance | ≥ 10 mm | 17–32 mm | ≤ 60° if proximal neck length ≥10 mm |
For length of ≥10 mm an inside diameter of 8 mm – 13 mm |
6 mm (18 Fr) | 4.333 mm (13 Fr) |
The Endologix Alto™ (Santa Rosa, CA, USA) Abdominal Stent Graft System is an endovascular device delivered
Treovance™ is a Terumo Aortic (Bolton Medical Inc., FL, USA) stent graft system first approved by the FDA in 2015. The device is typically composed of a main bifurcated stent graft and two limb extension stent grafts, each delivered endovascularly
In the 2011 Arbiter 2 observational study (
The PYTHAGORAS clinical trial (
A new 5-year large clinical trial of 500 participants, which is funded by Lombard Medical Ltd., is awaited to be completed in April 2022 (
The French EPI-ANA-01 Registry of Anaconda (
However, in a 100 patients Italian study between September 2005 and September 2008, the primary technical success rate was 100%, the same as freedom from aneurysm-related deaths in 24-month follow-up (
However, a 2014 study evaluating Anaconda against severe angulated infrarenal neck (>60°) of a 36 patients cohort shows a low technical success rate and primary clinical success rate, 83% and 78%, respectively, in 12-month follow-up, while there were no aneurysm-related deaths even in 48 months of follow-up (
A retrospective analysis of the ENCORE database was made by Swerdlow et al. (
Ovation systems use an autoinjector to inject a polymer filling into the sealing rings and channels to fix them on the aortic wall. Polymer leakage is known as the Achilles heel of the Ovation iX stent graft. A polymer leakage-specific review has shown that between November 2009 and August 2016, 26 individuals had polymer leakage from about 10,000 device implants (0.26%), of which 8 were reported in the USA, four were in Greece, and four were in Italy. Twenty-four individuals had anaphylactic symptoms, with hypotension being the predominant complaint due to anaphylaxis. There were no fatalities, and the aortic aneurysm was noted to be successfully excluded in 23 cases at the end of the procedure (
The cause of polymer leaks of Ovation iX has been identified and addressed by Endologix in the next-generation Alto endograft. Additionally, more improvements have been made concerning the neck length and access to limbs, as described in the previous section. Results of the Expanding Patient Applicability with Polymer Sealing Ovation Alto Stent Graft (ELEVATE) (
A cohort study of 11 patients who underwent EVAR using Alto (
Another small cohort study (
On 19 December 2021, a new clinical study was registered on
The AAA 13-03 clinical study of a cohort of 80 patients was conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of the GORE® EXCLUDER® Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis in the treatment of infrarenal AAAs. There was 100% technical success in procedures, and only 2.5% of them needed secondary intervention. In this study, there has been no type I, type III, or type IV endoleaks. In addition, there has been no AAA rupture or migration. Of the patients, 43.6% have had type II endoleak and another 7.7% have had an indeterminate endoleak reported. Also, a sac increase of >5 mm was observed in only 1.5% through the 12-month window. The data were collected from the device IFUs (
In an initial clinical experience study (
One of the main assets of the Conformable device is the repositionability featuring the C3 delivery system. A retrospective analysis of 2018 (
A new clinical trial is awaited and much needed. Assessment of the GORE® EXCLUDER® Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis in the Treatment of AAAs study is estimated to be completed in December 2026 (
Because of the lack of clinical results using the device, further studies would be useful in broadening the picture of its advantages and disadvantages.
The premarket clinical study (
A three-center cohort study on 79 patients (
A clinical study with patients treated with Endurant II/IIs in conjunction with Heli-FX EndoAnchor implants for short-neck AAA (
The Treovance stent graft is also a newer-generation device designed to improve deployment and fixation and increase applicability to more complex aortas with more sizing options; all these design improvements should ensure durability for better long-term outcomes. The unique aspects of the device include dual active proximal fixation (suprarenal stent and at the sealing stent) and a series of rounded barbs in the docking segments of the main body to prevent limb dislodgement. Early clinical studies with the Treovance abdominal endograft system in AAA patients (including HNA) demonstrated feasibility, but they were referred to small cohorts only. Further investigations confirmed the safety and favorable 1-year outcomes.
A multi-institutional, prospective, pivotal trial (
In the RATIONALE (
One of the last multicenter prospective nonrandomized studies on 150 patients (
Our review has shown that even if the clinical results are comparable, the individual characteristics of the endografts are often based on different engineering structures and features to guarantee adaptation of various anatomy and needs, particularly in the case of HNA.
Lombard Medical made a breakthrough by introducing Aorfix, which got FDA approval in 2013. It was the first third-generation device to address hyperangulated necks up to 90°. The unique “fishmouth” shape of the proximal end, in combination with the circular and helical nitinol rings, gives this device an upper hand in conforming to tortuous anatomies. The Anaconda device is also a device addressing the right-angled aortic necks. Its unique circular stent design has given it this ability. Bolton Medical Inc. got in the fight against >60° angulated necks 2 years later with their Treovance endograft. This stent graft is composed of evenly positioned serpentine nitinol stents that are sutured to a densely packed woven polyester fabric by braided polyester sutures. In addition to Treos novelty of being a double (suprarenal and聽infrarenal)聽fixation聽endograft to prevent migration, the stent scaffold is made up of interconnected sinusoidal springs giving it the ability of dealing with aortic neck angles up to 75° for neck lengths ≥15mm. The newest device treating necks greater than 60° is the Gore Excluder Conformable. The device is eligible for treating AAAs with proximal neck angulation of up to 90° because of its bifurcated design featuring a short main body with long limbs and its unique delivery system, C3, with the ability to reposition during the implantation procedure. This may be an additional useful feature for treating patients with HNA.
According to a Polish study on 100 patients (
Aorfix seems to have a higher mortality rate than other available endografts, with the AAA-related mortality rate of up to 4%, while the secondary intervention rate was also high (17%) in 5-year follow-up (
A conical neck is variously defined for each article concerning this type of HNA and is inextricably linked to type IA endoleaks incidence increase (
Endologix came up with a unique solution that only their Ovation system features. In addition to suprarenal fixation
Up to 4 years after the intervention, the Ovation stent graft device has been proved to be a safe choice for patients with both conventional and hostile anatomy who may fall outside the IFUs of other commonly used device platforms, even in patients with conical proximal necks (
Both endografts seem to have low AAA mortality rates, with Alto surpassing Ovation iX in freedom from reintervention and sac expansion in 12-months of follow-up (
AAAs with a short neck pose a significant barrier to device eligibility, as the majority of endografts can be used in the range of 10–15 mm and only a small portion of them can treat proximal necks shorter than 10 mm.
The aforementioned devices Treovance, Conformable, and Ovation iX have the ability to counter short necks of <15 mm. An ≤60° angled neck is a prerequisite for Treovance and Conformable to treat necks of ≥10 mm, whereas Ovation iX can treat aortic necks at least 13 mm in length. From the devices described in our review, only Endurant II and Alto may address short necks of <10 mm.
The Endurant stent graft is a self-expanding nitinol device that is sewed utilizing an ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene suture to improve stent-to-graft connection strength. Alto is made up of the following components: a network of inflated rings filled with a liquid polymer and iliac limbs/extensions (PTFE-encased nitinol). While the typical stent-nitinol graft's skeleton produces a constant radial force across the infrarenal neck, the Ovation device's polymer-filled sealing rings offer a gasket-like effect without radial force to assure closure (
For these devices to be eligible for use in patients with short aortic necks, even shorter than 10 mm that most new endografts for HNA can cover, they recruit unique features. Alto, an improved Ovation device, has upgraded the Ovation use eligibility for short necks to 7 mm due to the relocation of the sealing ring closer to the fabric's top edge and the included compliant balloon. The Endurant system has been directly associated with the the EndoAnchors system, giving an edge against HNA, which accredits Endurant for use even with aortic neck lengths as short as 4 mm. In addition, its manufacturer Medtronic came up with the patent of Endurant IIs bifurcated device, which enables the implantation of longer and more flexible targeted iliac limbs.
Alto and Endurant II have comparable results, with Alto performing better in the case of freedom from reintervention, limb occlusion, and sac enlargement, likely a result of different follow-up lengths (
Neck thrombus and neck calcification are conditions that are often outside the IFU, thus disallowing devices to be used. Neck thrombus can also be considered a risk factor related to thromboembolic complications (
Data for the study were collected and based to the discretion, experience, and methodology of each center and researcher; therefore, results should be interpreted with caution. We acknowledge the possibility of bias and questionable quality of results possibly originating from industry-driven research. Also, small cohort clinical studies and not randomized trials were used in the review. The clinical studies may have different median follow-up periods and patient selection criteria, including patients with a “normal” (i.e., not hostile) neck. Also, we cannot exclude that some procedures are done outside the IFU. We have to report there are no devices with the feature of treating calcified/thrombosed necks. We used predefined outcomes accepting the individual definitions of each study. We cannot exclude the possibility that our search has not missed any device capable of treating an HNA.
Further randomized clinical trials or controlled clinical trials with high-quality evidence would be beneficial in assessing the performance of each one of the endografts described, all useful for HNA. A systematic review and meta-analysis that will compare the different early, mid-, and long-term outcomes and performance of each device available would be of great use.
All new-generation endografts described in our review have comparable results. They broaden the eligibility of patients for EVAR due to their unique characteristics described. The use of each device should be personalized for each patient, taking the anatomical features into consideration. There is a lack of comparative studies for newer endografts and postmarket long-term clinical studies with significant results concerning the most recently approved devices described, Alto and Conformable.
SK and CP: study design and literature search. CP, PM, and SK: writing and data collection. CP and PM: data interpretation. CP: data analysis. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.