Endovascular repair of a ruptured subclavian artery aneurysm in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome using a sandwich technique

Abstract

We present the case of a type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patient with a ruptured right subclavian artery aneurysm and associated arteriovenous fistula who underwent successful endovascular repair requiring simultaneous stent graft repair of the innominate artery using a sandwich technique. A 17-year-old man with known type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome developed right neck and shoulder swelling. CTA study demonstrated a 17 × 13-cm ruptured subclavian artery aneurysm with an associated internal jugular vein arteriovenous fistula. In the hybrid suite, a 7 mm × 15-cm stent graft (Viabahn, WL Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ) was advanced from the right brachial approach into the innominate artery. A separate wire was placed into the right carotid artery via the right femoral approach (7 Fr), and a 7 mm × 10-cm stent graft (Viabahn) was advanced into the innominate artery. An additional 8 mm × 10-cm stent graft (Viabahn) was placed from the right brachial approach to obtain a distal-landing zone in the axillary artery. Complex vascular anatomy, in which graft seal creation may be challenging, does not exclude endovascular approaches as the sandwich technique can be utilized as a suitable alternative to open repair.

Keywords: Ehlers–Danlos syndrome; endovascular approaches; endovascular repair; sandwich technique.