Cardiologia Croatica, Vol. 10 No. 5-6, 2015.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar.2015.141
Thoracic EndoVascular Aortic Repair in the University Hospital Centre Zagreb: Ten Years since the first Intervention, problems and Results
Maja Strozzi
; University of Zagreb School of Medicine, University Hos- pital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Thoracic EndoVascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) was initially developed for occlusion pro- cedures in treatment of diseases of the descending aorta, but its use was soon expanded to a whole spectrum of pathologies of this aortic segment, including dissection and traumatic ruptures. Surgical treatment of degenerative aneurysms of the descending aorta has a very high mortality and morbidity, so TEVAR leads to significantly improved outcomes for these patients. This is the reason the University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb introduced the use of this procedure in the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases. Despite difficulties, TEVAR was used to treat the most at-risk patients with aneurysms, type B dissection, and traumatic rupture of the descending aorta. Long-term results of the treatment of 24 patients were acceptable, with a mortality of 8.3% and common complications (type I and II endoleaks in 12.5%; infection in 4.1%; proximal dissection propagation in 4.1%) which were re- solved with an additional intervention or surgical procedure. In the future we expect much more rapid development of this method in UHC Zagreb and in Croatia in general once the Croatian Health Insurance Fund has arranged financing for the device.
Keywords
thoracic aorta; endovascular procedure; stent grafting; aneurysm; dissection; vascular approach
Hrčak ID:
141136
URI
Publication date:
5.7.2015.
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