Strut Failure in the Body of the Zenith Abdominal Endoprosthesis

Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm is a technology that has undergone rapid technological evolution with a number of different types of grafts developed and concern has been the structural integrity of the metallic endoskeleton. We describe our experiences of strut failure in the Zenith abdominal aneurysm endograft device. Eighty-four patients have undergone endovascular repair of their abdominal aortic aneurysm at Christchurch Hospital from 1996 to 2005, all with the Zenith endoprosthesis. All available plain radiographs of the endoprosthesis (AP and lateral planes) were reviewed retrospectively, by a single experience observer, to assess strut failure. Three cases of strut failure in second-generation grafts were identified, each in the inferior body of the graft above the iliac bifurcation. There was no clear evidence that these strut failures were associated with clinical complications. This is the first time that strut failure in the Zenith abdominal endoprosthesis has been reported. Whilst in each of our three cases this does not appear to have been of clinical significance, these findings re-iterate the necessity of life-long surveillance of this technology.