2008 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 29-32
The present case was a 69-year old man who at age 63 underwent transcatheter stent graft placement for a Stanford type B dissecting aortic aneurysm with a maximum diameter of 55 mm. Six years later, prosthetic graft replacement was performed due to enlargement of the descending thoracic aorta to 60 mm. The ulcer-like projection at the proximal portion of the stent graft was observed. The descending aortic was replaced. The extracted stent graft was deformed in shape, and its connecting struts were disconnected. Furthermore, part of the stent had perforated the aortic wall. These findings suggested that the stent graft was not flexible and that its shape was incompatible with the proximal descending aorta. In conclusion, stent grafts should be improved to be more compatible with the shape of aorta.
