the January 31 issue of the New England J of Medicine reported a large observational study on endovascular vs. open repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA).
Endovascular repair is a minimally invasive technique involving placing a stent via a catheter while open repair involves placing a graft through a large incision. However there have been concerns about the long term benefits of endovascular repair.
The study, including more than 45,000 patients on the US Medicare, found those who had endoscopic repairs had a higher survival rate 30 days after the procedure, the benefit is greater the older the patient. By 4 years, rupture and minor reintervention were more likely in the endovascular repair group than the open repair group. The author said these were balanced by an increase in laparotomy-related reinterventions and hospital admission after open surgery, however, not everyone is suitable for endoscopic stenting.
Source: "Endovascular vs. Open Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in the Medicare Population" , NEJM Volume 358(5):464-474 ( subscription required)
No comments:
Post a Comment