False aneurysm with an aorto-superior vena cava fistula after replacement of the ascending aorta: report of a case.

A 58-year-old female presenting with congestive heart failure due to a fistula between an aortic false aneurysm and the superior vena cava (SVC) is described. She had a history of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and she had undergone aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting 6 years before. The false aneurysm had occurred 1 year after the surgery, and she had been conservatively managed. The operation revealed that the cause of the false aneurysm was the detachment of the two proximal saphenous vein anastomoses to the ascending aortic graft. After the surgery, the patient made an uneventful recovery. A false aneurysm of the ascending aorta is one of the most serious complications after replacement of the ascending aorta for patients with TA (Miyata et al. in J Vasc Surg 27:438-445, 1998). We herein present the exceptional case of a fistula between an aortic false aneurysm and the SVC that occurred after ascending aorta graft replacement.