Vascular prosthesis rupture caused by contact with rib stump after thoracic aorta replacement.

A 42-year-old male with Marfan syndrome, who had undergone aortic root and total arch replacement for type-A acute aortic dissection at the age of 40, underwent descending aorta replacement with woven Dacron (Vascutek Ltd., Renfrewshire, Scotland) because of pseudoaneurysm at the site of the distal anastomosis and an enlarged pseudolumen of the dissecting descending aorta. The fourth and eighth ribs were cut at their anterior and posterior sites to allow wide exposure of the entire descending aorta. Postoperative computed tomographic scanning showed that the vascular prosthesis posteriorly contacted the eighth rib stump. On the postoperative day 25, the patient collapsed and developed severe hypotension. Emergency thoracotomy revealed a 6 mm in diameter hole on the posterior side of the vascular prosthesis. One day later, the patient died of cardiac dysfunction resulting from sustained hypotension. Electron microscopic examination of the vascular prosthesis showed that the hole was caused by frayed fabric and disrupted polyester fibers. Our experience warns that a woven polyester vascular prosthesis could rupture within 3 weeks of contacting a rib stump.