Hypogastric Chimney Patency in Aortic Monoiliacal Endograft Thrombosis: A Life Saved by Collateral Pelvic Circulation

Background  To report a case of a high-risk patient treated with hypogastric chimney and aortic endograft for a native infrarenal aorta aneurysmal degeneration, 20 years after an aortobifemoral bypass procedure for severe iliac occlusive disease. Methods  A two-stage procedure was planned. The first stage was right internal iliac artery (IIA) embolization and simple angioplasty of left IIA. The second stage consisted of aortouniiliac endograft with femoral crossover and left IIA chimney. Results  Femoral crossover complicated with early thrombosis, but a decision on conservative medical treatment with anticoagulation was made based on no rest pain or severe claudication. After 3 months the patient presented with moderate claudication alone. Scheduled computed tomography scan showed femoral crossover graft and aortic endograft thrombosis with left IIA patency. The axillofemoral bypass was scheduled a week later, and the patient discharged home. Conclusion  Preservation of pelvic circulation is mandatory to avoid life-threatening complications. The chimney technique demonstrates good patency and should be considered in the endovascular approach armamentarium for hypogastric artery revascularization.