Anterior tibial artery rupture treated using covered stent in a patient with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare degenerative connective tissue disease caused by a mutation of the COL3A1 gene that results in systemic vascular fragility. Arterial rupture is a potentially fatal serious complication that is the most commonly reported cause of death among patients with this disease, as ruptured vessels remain fragile even after surgical or endovascular reconstruction. Therefore, treatment for vascular complications in patients with vEDS remains controversial. Rupture or pseudoaneurysm of the infrapopliteal artery is extremely rare. We describe a 38-year-old woman with vEDS who presented with sudden widespread rupture of the anterior tibial artery. She was treated by endovascular reconstruction using covered stents. She has remained free of vascular events for two years after surgery, and the course has been uneventful. Endovascular reconstruction using covered stents might offer an alternative for relatively small ruptured arteries and avoid disturbing blood flow in the lower extremities of patients with vEDS. <Learning objective: Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) causes systemic vascular fragility that results in arterial rupture. However, rupture of the arteries in the lower extremities is rare, and definitive treatment has not been established. Endovascular reconstruction with covered stents might offer an alternative treatment for ruptured arteries in the lower extremities of patients with vEDS.>.