Longitudinal rupturing of a knitted Dacron graft 30 years after its implantation

A 79-year old man with a pulsatile mass in his left groin was admitted to our institution in 2012. He had undergone an aortobifemoral bypass using a bifurcated Cooley double velour knitted Dacron graft for aortoiliac occlusive disease in 1982. Computed tomography detected a 34 mm para-anastomotic pseudoaneurysm in the left limb of the graft. Graft replacement was performed to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing, and we found that the old Dacron graft had ruptured longitudinally along its guideline. The disrupted portion of the old Dacron graft was excised and examined by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed the deterioration of the polyester filaments around the guideline.