Stent-graft repair of a mycotic left subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm

Abstract

Purpose: To report successful stent-graft treatment of a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the left subclavian artery in an immunosuppressed patient.

Case report: A 17-year-old immunosuppressed woman undergoing treatment for recurrent leukemia developed persistent fever and 2 episodes of hemoptysis. A contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scan demonstrated a saccular aneurysm of the left subclavian artery, which was considered to be a mycotic aneurysm caused by erosive fungal infection from the lung. The pseudoaneurysm was treated with a homemade stent-graft consisting of a nitinol stent and a polyester fabric. A type II endoleak present at the end of the procedure appeared to have sealed spontaneously on the CT scan at 3 days. No neurological deficit or ischemic symptoms of the left arm were noted during the follow-up, which lasted until the patient died 11 months later after rejecting a second bone marrow transplant.

Conclusions: Endovascular repair may be an alternative to open surgery for the management of mycotic aneurysms of the subclavian artery.