Project description:Abstract Background Ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms (AAPs) are an unusual complication of cardiac or aortic surgery and are associated with a high risk of complications and mortality. Guidelines recommend surgical repair. There is few data concerning percutaneous occlusion of AAP. We present a case of syncope due to vascular and heart chamber compression by a large post-surgical AAP that was filled through a focal leak. Ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm was successfully occluded percutaneously. Case summary A 66-year-old man with a mechanical aortic prosthesis and a Dacron tube in the ascending aorta presented with syncope due to compression of the right atrium and superior vena cava by a large peritube collection. A computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed a large AAP that was filled through a small focal dehiscence of the tube proximal suture. Patient was dismissed for surgery due to high surgical risk. Then, AAP was successfully occluded percutaneously via a 6-French radial access and local anaesthesia. Discussion In patients with syncope and previous cardiac surgery, aortic complications should be ruled out. Although transthoracic echocardiography may be useful, CTA is the recommended diagnostic test for ruling out post-surgical AAP and allows the characterization of the number, localization, and size of the leaks. In selected patients with high surgical risk and favourable anatomic characteristics, a percutaneous closure could be indicated.
Project description:A patient with recurrent sepsis caused by an infected ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm was deemed unsuitable for surgery after the heart team evaluation. He successfully underwent percutaneous treatment with a combination of a septal occlusion device and coil embolization and remained free of sepsis 24 months after implantation.
Project description:A 74-year-old woman expired from ascending aortic rupture 3 months following branched zone 2 endovascular aortic repair. Multiparametric image-based computational evaluation of this case suggested that the stiffness mismatch between the endograft and the native aorta increased haemodynamic loads and likely led to the rupture of the ascending aorta. This under-recognized phenomenon should be considered in preoperative planning and presents suggestions for endograft development.
Project description:Ascending aorta pseudoaneurysms represent uncommon but life-threatening complications that can be observed even after a long time in patients who have undergone aortic surgery. We describe an interesting case of a patient with ascending aorta pseudoaneurysm after the Bentall procedure treated with endovascular coil embolization from the right coronary artery. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Project description:Aortic pseudoaneurysm is a rare, life-threatening complication after cardiac or aortic root surgery. When a pseudoaneurysm has eroded bony structures in the chest, the surgeon's challenge is to choose the safest approach for sternotomy. Herein, we report the case of a 74-year-old woman who presented with a giant pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta, 8 years after undergoing aortic valve replacement. The 8.9×5.8-cm formation arose in the anterior aortic sinus, extended to the retrosternal region, exerted mass effect on the main pulmonary artery, and eroded the bony structures of the sternum and medial upper chest. A new aortic valved tissue conduit was placed, and the coronary arteries were reimplanted. The patient recovered without neurologic sequelae. We discuss the characteristics of this case and explain our surgical decisions.
Project description:A 79-year-old woman was admitted with a large chronic dissecting ascending aortic aneurysm starting 5 mm distal to the ostia of the left coronary artery and ending immediately proximal to the innominate artery. A reverse extra-anatomic aortic arch debranching procedure was performed. During the same operative time, through a transapical approach, a thoracic stent graft was deployed with the proximal landing zone just distal to the coronary ostia and the distal landing zone excluding the origin of the left common carotid artery. The postoperative course was uneventful. Computed tomography at 12 months documented patent extra-anatomic aortic arch debranching and no evidence of endoleak.