Objective: To compare the outcome after aortoiliac endarterectomy and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the aorta for localized stenosis of the lower abdominal aorta.
Design: Chart review of patients treated over a 5-year period.
Setting: A university centre.
Patients: Sixteen women, all of whom were smokers; 5 had hyperlipidemia, 4 had evidence of coronary artery disease, 3 were hypertensive, and 1 was diabetic.
Interventions: Aortoiliac endarterectomy (eight women) and PTA (eight women).
Main outcome measures: Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI), degree of claudication and clinical outcome.
Results: Angiography showed localized stenosis of the lower aorta in all patients, aortic hypoplasia in nine patients and associated common iliac disease in seven. None of the eight patients managed by aortoiliac endarterectomy had complications or died. All were free of claudication at a mean follow-up of 29 months and had durable improvement in their ABI: mean ABI preoperatively was 0.69 (standard deviation [SD] 0.1) and postoperatively was 1.06 (SD 0.07). Of the eight patients treated by PTA, only one had partial dilatation; another had a subintimal tear with worsening symptoms and a fall in ABI, requiring surgery within 18 months. The remaining six were symptom free after a mean follow-up of 13.4 months. Aortic PTA resulted in improvement of the ABI: mean ABI before PTA was 0.69 (SD 0.19) and after PTA was 1.06 (SD 0.15).
Conclusions: Endarterectomy is a safe and effective method of treating occlusive disease limited to the distal aorta. PTA appears to be less reliable. However, it is recommended as the initial treatment of choice in patients with angiographically suitable lesions because it is less invasive.