Purpose: To report a novel case in which a stent-graft was used to emergently treat an aortocaval fistula that recurred after conventional abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.
Case report: A 67-year-old man was treated urgently for ruptured AAA with surgical placement of a 16-mm Dacron interposition graft. During the procedure, an aortocaval fistula was repaired primarily. The patient was discharged in satisfactory condition but returned 20 days later with dyspnea, bilateral perimalleolar edema, and a bruit in the mesogastric region. The high flow fistula was again present just above the aortic bifurcation at the distal anastomosis of the existing graft. The patient's condition deteriorated rapidly, so a bifurcated Vanguard stent-graft was deployed in an emergency procedure. Subsequent imaging confirmed satisfactory closure of the fistula. The patient was discharged 8 days after endograft placement, and he continues to be without signs of fistula recurrence at 2 years.
Conclusions: Endograft treatment of vascular lesions in the acute setting is becoming more common as our experience with the devices grows. Endovascular repair of primary aortocaval fistulas appears to be an efficacious and minimally invasive means of dealing with these lesions in AAA patients.