Outcomes of Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for Aortobronchial and Aortoesophageal Fistulas

Purpose: To identify in-hospital and follow-up outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for aortobronchial fistula (ABF) and aortoesophageal fistula (AEF). Methods: The authors reviewed all published cases of ABF and AEF undergoing TEVAR indexed in the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, and EMBASE databases. After removal of duplicates, 850 articles were scrutinized for relevance and validity. Exclusion criteria included: (1) no clear description of the organs involved with the fistula, (2) no description of outcomes after TEVAR for ABF or AEF, or (3) no original data presented in the article. In this manner, 66 relevant articles were identified that included original data on 114 patients (76 men; mean age 63±1.5 years) with ABF (n=71) or AEF (n=43). Meta-analyses were performed to investigate outcomes of TEVAR for ABF and AEF. Results: Patients with AEF presented more frequently with hypovolemic shock (33% versus 13%, p=0.012) and systemic infection (36% versus 9%, p