Contralateral brachial arterial access for endovascular treatment of recurrent axillofemoral bypass graft stump syndrome: A case report.

Abstract

Axillofemoral bypass graft stump syndrome is an uncommon complication of axillofemoral bypass graft surgery. The traditional treatment is open surgical repair; however, endovascular recanalization can be achieved. Interventional treatment by approaching the brachial artery contralateral to the lesion site has rarely been reported in acute upper extremity ischemia. We report a case of recanalization through the left brachial artery due to embolic occlusion of the right brachial and axillary arteries and suspected axillofemoral bypass graft stump syndrome in a 71-year-old man. Access through the common femoral artery was impossible because the patient underwent reoperation of the left axillofemoral bypass and femorofemoral bypass due to occlusion of the right axillofemoral bypass and femorofemoral bypass surgery. Furthermore, bilateral radial arteries were occluded, allowing access to the left brachial artery. Two self-expandable stents were inserted into the occlusion of the right brachial and axillary arteries, and the stump area was covered. Aspiration thrombectomy was performed for embolism in the ulnar artery. Axillofemoral bypass graft stump syndrome can also be treated with interventional management. If access to the bilateral common femoral and radial arteries is not possible, an upper extremity arterial procedure through the contralateral brachial artery may be considered in cases of steno-occlusion of the upper extremities.