Disruption of a Dacron Graft Caused by the Vertebral Body of the Lumbar Vertebrae after Reconstruction of the Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm

We report an extremely rare case of early disruption of a woven Dacron graft by the mechanical force of the lumbar vertebral body after a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. A 75-year-old man with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm of Crawford type III underwent replacement of the thoracoabdominal aorta using a Gelweave thoracoabdominal graft (Vascutek) and a Gelweave bifurcate graft (Vascutek). His postoperative course was uneventful and discharged on postoperative day 20. On the 22nd postoperative day, he was re-hospitalized with low back pain. Computed tomography scanning showed a massive hematoma around the region of the graft-to-graft anastomosis. He underwent an emergency operation. At laparotomy, the Gelweave thoracoabdominal graft had a 2-mm hole which had been caused by the mechanical force of lumbar vertebral body, which was not related to the anastomosis. The graft was repaired with a 4-0 polypropylene buttress suture and a new prosthesis graft was used to wrap around the disrupted graft.