Successful surgical treatment of aortoenteric fistula.

In order to establish optimal management for aortoenteric fistula (AEF) the records of five patients treated for AEF (four aortoduodenal and one aortogastric fistula) were retrospectively reviewed. The arterial reconstruction procedures were selected according to the surgical findings, underlying cause, and patient status. In situ aortic reconstructions with prosthetic grafts were performed on three patients who had no gross findings of periaortic infection, whereas axillo-bifemoral bypass was carried out in the other two patients with periaortic purulence. In all patients, after retroperitoneal irrigation a pedicled omentum was used to cover the aortic graft or aortic stump. In the preoperative abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan there was a periaortic air shadow in four out of five patients. There was no surgical mortality or graft infection observed during a mean follow-up period of 40 months (range, 24-68 months). Therefore, the treatment results of an AEF can be improved using intravenous contrast-enhanced abdominal CT for rapid diagnosis and selection of an appropriate surgical procedure based on the surgical findings and underlying cause.