Lorenz Meuli

Background/Objectives: Aneurysms and dissections of the iliac artery (ADIAs) are significant vascular conditions often associated with aortic pathologies. Despite their importance, reports on isolated iliac artery pathologies are rare. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of ADIA in Switzerland including treatment incidence and hospital outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of diagnosis-related group (DRG) statistics from 2011 to 2018 in Switzerland was conducted, identifying all cases of ADIA while excluding those with concomitant treatment of aortic pathologies. Age-standardized incidence rates and treatment outcomes were assessed, with multivariable logistic regression performed to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. Results: From 2011 to 2018, 1037 ADIA cases were hospitalized in Switzerland. Incidence rates for elective treatment were significantly higher in men than women, increasing in men from 1.5 to 2.4 cases per 100,000 men (p = 0.007), while remaining stable in women at around 0.2 cases per 100,000 women. Acute treatment incidence rates were lower but still higher in men, at 0.9 cases per 100,000 men and 0.2 cases per 100,000 women. Crude hospital mortality rates were lower for endovascular repair than open surgical repair in both elective (0.8% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.023) and emergency treatment (6.7% vs. 18.4%, p = 0.045). Multivariable analysis showed that endovascular repair was associated with significantly reduced hospital mortality compared to open repair (OR 0.27, 95%-CI: 0.10 to 0.66, p = 0.006). Conclusions: This nationwide study of iliac artery pathologies shows that the treatment incidence was about 10 times higher in men than in women for elective procedures, but only about five times higher for emergency treatment. Endovascular procedures were associated with significantly lower hospital mortality than open procedures, while hospital mortality rates were comparable for men and women.