Direct Abdominal Aortic Access for Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair in a Patient with Severe Aortic and Arterial Calcification

Emergency Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aorta Via a Percutaneous Popliteal Approach Following an Iatrogenic Injury

Iatrogenic arterial injuries are rare but well-recognised complications of spinal surgery. This paper presents a case of an iatrogenic arterial injury during a total en bloc spondylectomy resulting in significant haemorrhage and the patient's haemodynamic instability. The devastating complication was successfully treated with an emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair via a percutaneous popliteal approach, while the patient remained in prone position. The patient had an uneventful recovery with no subsequent arterial injury or pseudoaneurysm to the access vessel.

Direct aortic access for endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair using a bifurcated endograft as a branched device

Aortic aneurysms (AA) are a common complication in patients with large-vessel vasculitis, such as chronic phase Takayasu arteritis, that often require surgical management to prevent a lethal rupture. Historically, mainstay of treatment for AA in the setting of arteritis was traditional open repair. However, in this case study an alternative surgical approach was devised to successfully treat an extent III thoracoabdominal AA in a patient with a diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis and a complex surgical history that made her high risk for an open surgical intervention. This case study summarizes a hybrid surgical approach that successfully excluded a thoracoabdominal AA and revascularized the superior mesenteric artery and left renal artery, by directly accessing the infrarenal aorta and using a bifurcated abdominal aortic endograft as a two-vessel branched device.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair with a right thoracotomy approach

BACKGROUND

The common femoral artery is usually the preferred access route for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). However, if access from the common femoral artery is challenging, other routes must be considered. We report a case of TEVAR performed by approaching the descending thoracic aorta with a right thoracotomy and using the descending thoracic aorta as an access route.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 70-year-old female was diagnosed with a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (65 mm in diameter), a thoracoabdominal aneurysm (54 mm in diameter), and an abdominal aortic aneurysm (49 mm in diameter). Since the patient had severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one-stage replacement of the thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm was contraindicated and TEVAR on the descending aorta was selected. A strong tortuous section of the aorta-from the descending aorta to the abdominal aorta-hampered endovascular access to the site from the common femoral artery. A TEVAR approach from the abdominal aorta was also considered; however, an abdominal aortic aneurysm and a transverse colon loop stoma from an earlier surgery presented challenges to this technique. We chose to access the descending thoracic aorta with a thoracotomy from the right 6th intercostal space for TEVAR, because the access route that is not affected by the meandering of the aorta is considered to be the descending aorta with a right thoracotomy. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful after the stent graft was placed. No complications were detected with postoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that TEVAR can be performed by approaching the descending aorta from a right thoracotomy, if variations of vascular anatomy interfere with the more commonly used femoral artery approach.