The role of aortouniiliac devices in the treatment of aneurysmal disease.

PURPOSE Many studies have shown that aortouniiliac (AUI) devices have comparable outcome in high risk patients as the treatment with bifurcated devices. The purpose of this article is to review the relevant literature and discuss the outcomes. METHODS A systematic search from 1991 until 2010 was performed on PubMed and Medline databases for studies evaluating the role of AUI devices accompanied with occlusion of one iliac artery and crossover femoral-femoral or iliac-femoral bypass, for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysmal disease. Keywords used were abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), aortouniiliac, aortomonoiliac, stent graft, outcome analysis, in various combinations. The reference lists of the gathered reports were also manually searched. Only articles with series of more than twenty (20) patients were included in this review. RESULTS Seven articles were found referring to the results of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with AUI stent grafts, three are comparing AUI, tube, bifurcated devices or between them or /and with open surgery repair, four are referring to the patency of the femoral-femoral bypass that couples the AUI stent graft deployment, and two are referring to the treatment of r-AAA with the AUI stent grafts. CONCLUSIONS There is increasing evidence in the literature that the AUI configuration endoprosthesis placement is a safe procedure over the mid- and long-term period and compares well with the results of AAA endovascular repair with bifurcated endoprostheses that have been published.