Endovascular aortic repair for spontaneous rupture of a non-aneurysmal infrarenal aorta

Abstract

We report the case of a patient who underwent an endovascular aortic repair for spontaneous rupture of a non-aneurysmal infrarenal aorta. A 67-year-old male with a diagnosis of infrarenal aortic rupture was referred to our hospital. Preoperative computed tomography showed focal ulcers adjacent to the site of rupture, with no evidence of aneurysm formation, suggesting that this aortic rupture was likely to be associated with perforation of penetrating atheromatous ulceration. Open surgical repair might have carried a high-risk because of the patient's history of laparotomy and respiratory impairment, so endovascular aortic repair was planned. We deployed a Powerlink proximal infrarenal cuff 25-25-75L at the rupture site through the femoral artery, with the additional placement of two extra large Palmaz stents at the proximal and distal sites of the Powerlink stent-graft. Completion angiography showed total exclusion with no endoleaks. The patient was successfully extubated on the third postoperative day and recovered well until he contracted aspiration pneumonia two weeks after surgery. Unfortunately, he eventually died of a non-aortic cause three months after the operation. Endovascular aortic repair may be an alternative to conventional surgical repair for high-risk patients with spontaneous infrarenal aortic rupture.