Sonographic evaluation of aortic endografts

Abstract

The selective use of endovascular devices to repair abdominal aortic aneurysms was introduced in the early 1990s. Although placement of an aortic endograft offers patients a less morbid alternative to surgical repair, this procedure is not without complications. Persistent perfusion of the residual aneurysmal sac via endoleaks may place the patient at risk for aneurysmal enlargement and subsequent rupture. Historically, serial computed tomographic angiography has been used as the primary modality for assessment of aortic endografts. In recent years, sonography has been shown to provide a valued tool for ongoing surveillance of aortic endografts and identification of endoleaks, increasing aneurysmal size, hemodynamic disorders, and graft migration and/or kinking. Standardization of the sonographic evaluation yields accurate information vital to the long-term patency of these conduits. © The Author(s) 2011.