Thrombosis of a bifurcated endograft following lower-back microwave therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe an unusual case involving thrombosis in an aortic endograft limb following microwave therapy (MWT) for lumbar pain.


METHODS
A 77-year-old man had successful repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with a Vanguard endograft. He had been free of complications during the 3-year follow-up. Five days after the 36-month surveillance angiogram, the patient was treated with MWT for chronic left-sided lumbar pain due to vertebral arthrosis. Immediately after this session, the patient presented with acute ischemia in the left lower limb. Computed tomographic angiography showed a thrombosis of the left limb of the endograft. A femorofemoral crossover bypass was performed. No complication was observed in later surveillance.


CONCLUSIONS
It may be advisable to avoid MWT and other deep heating therapies in patients with endografts. This caution is applicable to other metallic stents.
Riambau
Vicente
V
Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Spain. vriambau@clinic.ub.es
Caserta
Gustavo
G
Garcia-Madrid
Cesar
C
D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D001027:Aortography; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D003972:Diathermy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012306:Risk; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed