Heparin surface stent-graft for the treatment of a carotid pseudoaneurysm

Carotid pseudoaneurysms are a rare consequence of carotid surgery, trauma, and infection. Historically, carotid aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms were treated surgically. However, endovascular techniques have recently become a valid alternative for the treatment of carotid pseudoaneurysms. The case of a 57-year-old male patient with a pseudoaneurysm of the right internal carotid artery is described. The patient came to our unit with a painless and pulsatile mass in the neck, which was growing slowly. Five years earlier, he had undergone surgery on a saccular aneurysm located on the distal extracranial segment of the right internal carotid artery. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated with a heparin surface Viabahn stent-graft system (Gore AL, Flagstaff, AZ). Heparin surface stent-grafts can be used for the treatment of carotid lesions and may offer protection against intimal hyperplasia and thrombosis. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term results.