Transvenous Embolization of a Spontaneous Femoral AVF 5 Years After an Incomplete Treatment with Arterial Stent-Grafts

Abstract

A 66-year-old man with complex left femoral arterio-venous fistula (AVF) was first diagnosed after a deep venous thrombosis incident approximately 5 years ago. Partial treatment was performed by means of endografts along the superficial femoral artery, which remained patent for 5 years. The patient had been doing well until a couple of months ago when he developed severe venous stasis and ulcers of the left cruris, due to a high-flow nonhealing complex AVF with additional iliac vein occlusion. Therefore; the definitive treatment was performed by a unique endovascular technique combined with surgical venous bypass (femoro-femoral crossover saphenous bypass, the Palma operation). A novel percutaneous transvenous technique for occlusion of a complex high-flow AVF is reported with a review of the literature. The case is unique with spontaneous AVF, transvenous embolization with detachable coils and ONYX, and the hybrid treatment technique as well as the long-term patency of superficial femoral artery stent-grafts.