How Many Patients with Infrarenal Aneurysms are Candidates for Endovascular Repair? The Northern California Experience:

Purpose:To determine how many patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) meet the anatomical selection criteria for AneuRx stent-graft repair in community hospitals of Northern California.Methods:The records were reviewed of 220 AAA patients (171 men, 49 women) who were considered for endovascular repair by the treating vascular surgeon at 28 community hospitals in Northern California between January and October 2001. Contrast computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and selective arteriography were performed at each institution and reviewed by a centralized, independent image-reading center. Selection criteria determined by the manufacturer and published in the indications for use were applied to each set of imaging studies. The number of patients who met inclusion criteria were recorded, as were the anatomical characteristics of each aneurysm.Results:The mean aneurysm size in the 220 patients was 55.3±0.7 mm. Among these patients, 122 (55%) were judged to be candidates for endovascular repair and 98 (...