Open stent-grafting: aborted procedure in a patient with mega aorta syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Open stent-grafting is a recent technical modification of endoluminal stent-grafting, in which a stent-graft is inserted into the descending thoracic aorta through an opening in the aortic arch, to treat distal arch aneurysms or aortic dissection. Controversy remains as to whether patients with mega aorta syndrome, or those with very wide aneurysm necks, could be candidates for stent-graft treatment--open or endoluminal.


METHODS
We recently attempted open stent-grafting in a patient with mega aorta syndrome who had a distal aortic arch aneurysm. A previous attempt at surgical resection of the aneurysm through left thoracotomy ended in failure because of severe adhesion in the left lung. This time, we planned total arch replacement with open stent-graft exclusion of the aneurysm. However, open stent-grafting had to be abandoned intraoperatively due to technical difficulties as well as our lack of experience with such difficult cases. Conventional total arch replacement with elephant trunk was performed instead.


RESULTS
Due to its deep location, the distal neck of the aneurysm could not be reached through median sternotomy and, therefore, the distal aortic anastomosis was performed within the aneurysm cavity. Thus, the distal portion of the aneurysm was not excluded from circulation. The future treatment plan in the present case is further complicated by the fact that a second-stage surgery through left thoracotomy will not be possible.


CONCLUSIONS
Conventional total arch replacement proved rather inappropriate as a treatment strategy in the present case. Open stent-grafting might have been a more useful approach is spite of the challenges posed by the aneurysm. There needs to be a consensus as to whether patients with mega aorta syndrome or those with very wide aneurysm necks could be candidates for stent-graft treatment--open or endoluminal in difficult circumstances.
First Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1, Handayama, Hamamatsu City, 431-3192, Japan. ahmbashar@yahoo.com
Abul Hasan Muhammad
AH
Bashar
Teruhisa
T
Kazui
Kazuchika
K
Suzuki
Hitoshi
H
Terada
Katsushi
K
Yamashita
Naoki
N
Washiyama