Endovascular techniques in the management of acute arterioenteric fistulas

To report the use of endovascular techniques to emergently treat hemorrhagic complications of rare arterioenteric fistulas.

Two patients, a 71-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman, presented with acute bleeding arising from primary arterioenteric fistulas. In the first patient, a fistula between the iliac artery and the small intestine complicated laparoscopic treatment of acute appendicitis. In the second patient, irradiation of a metastatic cervical carcinoma led to a fistula between the right iliac artery and the terminal ileum. In both patients, the hemorrhage was controlled with implantation of a Jostent Peripheral Stent-Graft. The man is alive at 3 years with a patent endograft, but the woman died 1 month after treatment from complications of tumor progression.

Endovascular application of covered stents provides an alternative treatment, avoiding extensive surgery. In cases of neoplastic erosion of a large vessel, endovascular stenting can offer a palliative solution.