Successful endovascular management of endoleak-like phenomenon following open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Endovascular Solution to Endoleak Phenomenon After Open Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has quickly outpaced open treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and iliac artery aneurysms, relegating most open AAA repair for either young patients with long life expectancy or patients with extreme anatomic constraints. Typically, open repair involves opening the aneurysm sac with suture ligation of back-bleeding vessels. However, in situations where an aortobifemoral repair is performed, proximal and distal ligation can be performed leaving behind a "remnant" aorta and iliac arteries. Usually, major palpable vessels are ligated and small lumbars spontaneously thrombose. However, failure of this to occur can lead to a rare situation in which there is persistent filling of a remnant aorta and aneurysm sac leading to a situation similar to a type II endoleak after EVAR. Typically, this leak has been repaired by open ligation. We present a technique for endovascular coiling and thrombin injection to correct a "type II endoleak" from a back-bleeding lumbar artery after open aortoiliac and femoral aneurysm repair.