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OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair based on the pre- and postoperative evaluation of the artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA). METHODS Between April 2017 and May 2021, 32 patients who underwent thoracoabdominal aortic repair underwent pre- and postoperative multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) for AKA evaluation. Based on the identification of the AKA on preoperative MDCT, only 1 critical segmental artery was reattached to the AKA (CSA-AKA). Postoperative MDCT was used to evaluate the patency of the reattached CSA-AKA. RESULTS Pre- and postoperative MDCT helped identify and visualize the AKA in all patients (100%). In 8 patients, alternative continuity to the AKA developed through collateral circulation. The total number of CSA-AKA with collateral circulation was 48 among the 32 cases; the number of reattached segmental arteries per case was 1.3 ± 0.9 (range, 0–4). The overall rate of patency of the reattached CSA-AKA was 53% (23/43). Three patients exhibited spinal cord injuries (paraplegia, 2; paraparesis, 1). In the 2 paraplegia cases exhibiting partial or complete occlusion of the reattached CSA-AKA, the development of collateral circulation was not visualized via postoperative MDCT. In the paraparesis case, postoperative MDCT helped visualize the development of collateral circulation to the CSA-AKA, resulting in full recovery at discharge. CONCLUSIONS The study findings suggest that spinal cord injuries do not occur in the presence of a patent preoperatively identified CSA-AKA or the development of collateral circulation. Pre- and postoperative identification of collateral pathways to the AKA may help reveal paraplegia risk factors.

Background Chronic contained rupture is a subtype of an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. Its diagnosis is sometimes difficult due to lack of typical symptoms. We would like to report the challenge of diagnosing chronic contained rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm with a retroperitoneal tumor. Case presentation A 60-year-old man reported perceived lower abdominal pain 7 months earlier that spontaneously remitted. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) indicated an abdominal aortic aneurysm and a mass lesion surrounding the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed an increased accumulation of FDG in the margin of the lesion, indicating a retroperitoneal tumor. A CT-guided biopsy revealed only retroperitoneal fibrous tissue with chronic inflammation. We were thus unable to reach a definitive diagnosis. At 1 month after the initial examination, intermittent claudication was newly observed. A follow-up contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed abdominal aortic occlusion. Mass resection and bypass surgery were performed for diagnosis and treatment. Intraoperative and pathological findings led to the diagnosis of chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The patient was discharged 19 days after surgery. Conclusion The mass peripheral to the abdominal aorta should be considered the possibility not only of tumor but also of chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The patient was a 68-year-old man. In January 2017, he underwent aortic valve replacement Carpentier-Edwards Perimount Magna, 25 mm, Edwards Lifescience Corporation, Irvine, USA for aortic stenosis and coronary bypass surgery with two saphenous vein grafts SVG #7 and SVG-4PD for asymptomatic myocardial ischemia. He was treated as an outpatient by a local physician for at least a week during November 2017, with a principal complaint of mild fever, but no other significant symptoms. Transthoracic echocardiography suggested prosthetic valve endocarditis, so he was referred to the author s hospital. The day after admission, he had symptoms of thoracic discomfort, and emergency cardiac catheter examination showed a lesion thought to be due to a thrombus in the left main coronary trunk ; so, thrombus aspiration was carried out. However, no improvement in blood flow was achieved, so balloon angioplasty was carried out, with the aim of improving blood flow in the left circumflex artery, where coronary artery bypass grafting had not been performed. Improvement in blood flow was achieved, and a culture was carried out using the aspirated thrombus. Streptococcus pasteurianus was detected in the culture.

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