Unusual case of AneuRx stent-graft failure two years after AAA exclusion.
OBJECTIVE
To present a case of type-III endoleak due to separation of modular components and suture breakage after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair with the AneuRx stent-graft.


METHODS
A 58-year-old man with a 78-mm AAA underwent successful aneurysm exclusion with an AneuRx stent-graft in 1998. Because the bifurcated component migrated during deployment, an additional aortic cuff was deployed to extend the stent-graft proximally to just below the renal arteries. On routine evaluation with computed tomography at 2 years postimplantation, a type-III endoleak with anterior displacement of the stent-graft was discovered. Angiography revealed separation of the aortic cuff from the stent-graft body. The aneurysm, which had decreased to 70 mm at 6 months, had enlarged to 80 mm in diameter. The patient underwent surgical AAA repair with removal of the stent-graft. Macroscopic examination showed suture breakage and separation of the stent rings and the graft material.


CONCLUSIONS
This late complication of the AneuRx endograft underscores the need for frequent imaging surveillance in all patients undergoing endoluminal AAA repair.
Krajcer
Z
Z
Department of Cardiology, Texas Heart Institute/St Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, USA. zkrajcermd@ipninet.com
Howell
M
M
Dougherty
K
K
D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001027:Aortography; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D020878:Device Removal; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed