Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of a physician-modified endograft (PMEG) with inner branches for 2 mesenteric arteries as an alternative to fenestrations or directional branches. Technique: A symptomatic 60-year-old man presented with supraceliac para-anastomotic pseudoaneurysm involving an antegrade aorta to celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery bypass. Since an off-the-shelf multibranched endograft was inappropriate, a Zenith Alpha thoracic stent-graft was modified with 2 inner branches fashioned of 8-mm Viabahn endoprostheses with preloaded guidewires. The procedure was technically successful, and the patient had no postoperative complications. Conclusion: Inner branches might offer an alternative to fenestrations or directional branches in patients with narrow aortas.
Up-and-Over Technique for Implantation of Iliac Branch Devices After Prior Aortic Endograft Repair
Purpose: To describe a modified up-and-over access technique for treatment of iliac artery aneurysms in patients with prior bifurcated stent-grafts for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Technique: This technique uses a coaxial 12-F flexible sheath that is docked with a through-and-through wire into a 7-F sheath advanced from the contralateral femoral approach. This maneuver allows both sheaths to be moved as a unit while maintaining position of the apex of the system as it loops over the flow divider, avoiding damage to or displacing the extant endograft. Once the 12-F sheath is positioned in the iliac limb of the aortic stent-graft and secured in place with the through-and-through wire, the repair is extended into the internal iliac artery using a bridging stent-graft or covered stent introduced via a coaxial sheath. Conclusion: The up-and-over technique with a flexible 12-F sheath mated with a 7-F sheath from the opposite side allows bilateral femoral access to be used for iliac branch device placement after prior aortic endograft procedures that create a higher, acutely angled bifurcation. Use of a through-and-through wire and a coaxial sheath for stent delivery creates a very stable platform for intervention.