Purpose: To describe perforation of a Dacron aortic graft due to a post-thoracotomy dislocated rib fracture in a young Marfan patient.
Case report: Six months after a successful open repair of a type II dissecting thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA), a 40-year-old woman with Marfan syndrome underwent elective repair of a post-thoracotomy dislocated rib fracture. During the procedure, the graft ruptured; 2 TAG stent-grafts were emergently implanted to reline the existing aortic graft. The fractured rib was then resected. The postoperative course was uneventful, without residual leak at computed tomography at 3 days. At 18 months, the patient is well, without need of further operations.
Conclusion: Early correction of any dislocated rib fracture close to a thoracic aortic graft should be considered, especially if the graft is not wrapped by the aneurysm sac. In these patients, in-graft endovascular relining associated with repair of the rib fracture may be a feasible and effective alternative to redo thoracotomy and surgical graft repair. Prior to attempting rib resection, appropriate thoracic endografts should be on hand in case an endovascular bailout is needed.