BMJ Open (Jul 2024)
Aortic aneurysm sac filling with AneuFix injectable polymer during endovascular aneurysm repair: feasibility and safety trial study protocol
Abstract
Introduction Type II endoleaks (T2ELs) following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can lead to aneurysm growth, compromising the stent graft seal and risking rupture. Preventing these endoleaks during EVAR involves filling the AAA sac around the stent graft to exclude the aneurysm and block any arteries causing the endoleak. This study investigates the feasibility and safety of using AneuFix, a biocompatible injectable polymer developed by TripleMed (Geleen, the Netherlands), for aneurysmal sac filling during EVAR in high-risk T2EL patients.Methods and analysis A feasibility, single-arm, single-centre clinical trial will initially include five patients with infrarenal AAA, eligible for EVAR, and at high risk for T2EL based on the number of patent lumbar arteries and the cross-sectional area of the aortic lumen at the level of the inferior mesenteric artery. Postevaluation by the Data Safety and Monitoring Board, the study cohort will extend to 25 patients. During EVAR and after stent graft deployment, the aneurysm sac is filled with AneuFix polymer using a filling sheath positioned parallel to the contralateral limb with the tip inside the aneurysm sac. Primary outcome is technical success (successful AAA sac filling). The secondary outcomes include clinical success at 6 and 12 months (occurrence of T2ELs and AAA growth assessed with CT angiography), intraoperative and perioperative complications, all endoleaks, adverse events, re-interventions, aneurysm rupture and patient survival.Ethics and dissemination This trial was approved by the Dutch Authorities (Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects, IGJ), Amsterdam University Medical Centre Ethical Commission, and adheres to the Declaration of Helsinki and European Medical Device Regulation. Results will be shared at (inter)national conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number NCT04307992.