Open vs. Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

In the OVER trial, endovascular repair's early mortality advantage was nonsignificant by 2-year follow-up.

In two previous randomized trials from Europe comparing open with endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), an early mortality advantage with the endovascular approach diminished by medium-term follow-up (see Journal Watch Cardiology's 2005 coverage of the EVAR-1 and DREAM trials). Now, we have 2-year results from the U.S.-based OVER trial, which has a planned follow-up of 9 years. In this trial, 881 patients (mean age, 70; mean AAA diameter, 5.7 cm) from 42 Veterans Administration medical centers who were candidates for both elective open and endovascular repair were randomized to undergo one of these procedures.

Mortality within the first 30 days or during hospitalization was significantly lower with endovascular than with …

Reviewing Author

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)