Surgical treatment of Kommerell's diverticulum and other saccular arch aneurysms

Saccular aneurysms of the aortic arch are rare, and their surgical repair is challenging with potentially significant morbidity and mortality.

We examined our experience over a 3-year period with nine consecutive patients that include nine hybrid repairs with initial extra-anatomic carotid and/or subclavian bypass and subsequent endovascular exclusion of the saccular arch aneurysm.

Three patients presented with dysphagia from aberrant right subclavian arteries with aneurysm at the origin of the artery, two had asymptomatic aneurysms at the origin of the left subclavian, and four patients had isolated saccular aneurysms of the arch, three of whom presented with thoracic pain. A total of 16 extra-anatomic bypasses were done in the nine patients. Ten endografts and one nitinol plug were used for exclusion in the nine hybrid cases. There were no perioperative deaths, no strokes, or myocardial infarction events. During follow-up, two patients (22%) were found to have type II endoleaks, but no reinterventions were required. Symptoms resolved in six patients, whereas persistent dysphagia and pain occurred in one.

Repair of saccular aneurysms of the aortic arch by hybrid approach can be done with minimal morbidity and mortality and a reasonable rate of symptom resolution.