Long-term experience of endovascular aneurysm repair with Zenith prosthesis: diminishing graft-related complications over time.

Background: Only limited data on the long-term results after endovascular aneurysm repair exist to date. Materials: Data on 282 patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm treated with a Zenith endoprosthesis between March 2000 and March 2010 were retrospectively analyzed from a prospective database. Operative, total, and aneurysm-related mortality was assessed, as were graft-related complications and reinterventions. Results: All procedures were performed successfully without primary conversions. Median follow-up was 40 months (range: 1-119 months). Thirty-day mortality was 1.4%, and aneurysm-related mortality was 0.7%. Cumulative survival was 62% at 5 years and 52% at 8 years. Graft-related complications occurred in 107 (38%) patients. The most common finding was a type II endoleak (n = 73) that sealed mainly spontaneously (n = 46, 63%). Most endoleaks, and complications in general (87%), appeared during the first 3 years of follow-up, and no events occurred after 6 years. Altogether, 59 additional procedures, mainly embolizations (n = 35), in 38 patients (24%) were required owing to graft-related complications. Of all the reinterventions, 82% were performed during the first 4 years, and no new complications were treated after 6 years. Conclusion: Complications and reinterventions related to endovascular aneurysm repair become practically nonexistent after 5 to 6 years. This finding suggests that a lifelong follow-up may not always be needed after treatment with a Zenith endoprosthesis.