ABSTRACT
Modern surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms–by aneurysm resection or graft replacement–has been performed since the early 1950s. In 1991, J. C. Parodi reported the first series of patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). It signaled the true beginning of a new era in vascular surgery and catheter-based technology. Since, more than 25,000 stent-graft devices have been implanted and many devices were created, leaving no doubt that EVAR is feasible and of clear-cut benefit to many patients. Focal iliac stenoses are best managed with angioplasty at the time of stent-graft intervention; placement of a self-expanding stent within the endograft limb at the site of narrowing may become necessary in such situations. The need for a less invasive treatment alternative was imperative and rather clear, resulting in the evolution of endovascular stent-graft techniques. The long-term durability of stent-graft devices and endovascular aneurysm repair are a continuing concern.
