MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 2004 to May 2014 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that compared EVAR with open surgery repair in rAAA patients.
Three RCTs and 10 observational studies covering 1,784 patients were included. Perioperative mortality occurred in 27.3% of the patients treated with EVAR and in 38.1% of the patients who underwent open repair. Subgroup analysis revealed consistent results in favor of EVAR in single-center, observational studies. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis indicated that the superior effect of EVAR might be associated with more anatomically suitable patients in EVAR group.
The findings from our meta-analysis support EVAR in properly selective rAAA patients.