Pericardial fat flap for mycotic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta

Standard treatment for mycotic aneurysm of thoracic aorta is complete debridement with replacement of the aneurysm with a homograft or Dacron graft. However, contamination from surrounding tissues may occur after the graft replacement. Transposition of the viable, well-vascularized tissues should be used to fill surrounding dead space and isolate the graft to prevent reinfection. Although the omentum is regarded as the best tissue, it is not always available for use. We describe here a new alternative technique for such situations, that is, the use of a pericardial fat flap for patients with a mycotic descending thoracic aortic aneurysm.