Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in a Patient with Superior Mesenteric Artery Occlusion with Transient Intraoperative Infusion of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery: A Surgical Case Report

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with mesenteric artery stenosis or obstructive lesions are occasionally recognized. While performing the graft replacement operation in such cases, if the collateral circulation supplying the gastrointestinal tract is well developed, it is necessary that this collateral circulation should be well perfused during aortic cross-clamping. A 72-year-old woman was admitted because of expansion of AAA. Computed tomography (CT) scan examination revealed occlusion at the origin of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and the development of a collateral circulatory pathway via the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). During this operation, a vein cannula was placed in the IMA, through which blood was supplied with an extension tube for the protection of the intra-abdominal organs. The IMA was reimplanted after the graft replacement. Previous reports indicate that intestinal ischemia may be successfully prevented by supplying blood to the collateral circulation using various techniques. We report the surgical approach for treatment of AAA using a simple and convenient method to maintain intra-operative blood supply to vital organs.