Survival Benefit of Endovascular Descending Thoracic Aortic Repair for the High-Risk Patient

Background Despite acceptable results reported with endovascular thoracic aortic repair (TEVAR), recent studies have questioned the merit of repair in asymptomatic patients considered high risk for open surgery. In this group, advanced age or comorbid conditions may reduce life expectancy, thus limiting the benefit of elective aneurysmectomy. This study was conducted to determine whether elective TEVAR improves survival for this cohort. Methods Forty-six asymptomatic patients with descending thoracic aortic disease were considered high risk for open surgery for reasons of age of 80 years or older (47.8%) or comorbid conditions (84.8%), and were subsequently evaluated for elective TEVAR. Of these, 21 underwent TEVAR, while another 25 patients were excluded from TEVAR on the basis of unfavorable anatomy or refused intervention. Results The mean age of the cohort was 77.0 ± 7.0 years (p = 0.9 between groups). Prevalent comorbid conditions were similar between groups, and included coronary artery disease (p = 1.0), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 1.0), and peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.23). Mean maximum aortic diameter was 6.0 ± 1.4 cm (p = 0.54 between groups). Indications for intervention included fusiform aneurysm (65.2%) and pseudoaneurysm or penetrating ulcer (32.6%). No 30-day mortality was observed after TEVAR. All-cause mortality in the entire cohort was 50%. Median actual time to mortality was different between groups (control, 9.2 months versus TEVAR, 24.9 months; p = 0.01). Life-table analysis demonstrated improved survival for TEVAR at 24 months (p = 0.05). Conclusions Although the overall prognosis for the asymptomatic patient with descending thoracic aortic disease at high risk for open surgery is poor, elective endovascular repair improves survival and should be considered a therapeutic option in this setting.