Endovascular Stent-Anchored Aortic Grafts: A Comparison between Self-Expanding and Balloon-Expandable Stents in Minipigs

Purpose: To study endovascular graft attachment with self-expanding Gianturco Z-stents and balloon-expanded Palmaz stents and the effect of these devices on the renal ostia. Methods: Ten stent-grafts were constructed, 5 with Gianturco Z-stents and 5 with Palmaz stents. The endografts were implanted under fluoroscopic guidance into the abdominal aorta of 10 pigs so that the uncovered portion of the proximal stent extended over the renal artery orifices. Distal aortic blood pressure and flow were measured before and after graft placement and 1 hour postprocedure. The aorta was then exposed surgically, and the central portion of the stent-graft was inspected through an aortotomy to assess perigraft leakage. Results: Stent-graft implantation was accurate and hemostatic in all cases, despite longitudinal folding of the graft due to oversizing. However, transverse folds produced pressure gradients (> 15 mmHg) between the ends of the graft in two cases. In another case, a pressure gradient resulted from partial thrombosis of the graft. In two cases, renal artery occlusion and thrombosis occurred due to coverage by the graft material. In two other animals, one of the renal arteries was entirely uncovered by a stent. The remaining 16 renal arteries were covered by the proximal stent but not the graft, as intended. One (6.25%) of these arteries thrombosed, but the remainder were grossly patent when the animals were sacrificed at 1 hour. Conclusions: Both Palmaz and Gianturco Z-stents produced hemostatic endovascular graft attachment, even in the presence of moderate graft oversizing. The risk of acute renal artery occlusion from juxtarenal stenting does not appear to be prohibitive, but longer term observations are needed.