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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Patch Angioplasty in the Rat Aorta or Inferior Vena Cava
Published on: February 27, 2017
Surgical Reconstruction of a Suprahepatic Inferior Vena Cava Aneurysm Using a Tubularized Bovine Pericardial Patch
Laasya Achanta1,2, Bright Benfor1, Dylan E Brooks1
1Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Abstract:
Inferior vena cava (IVC) aneurysms are rare clinical entities with fewer than 80 cases reported in the literature. Type I aneurysms involving the suprahepatic IVC present significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to the right atrium and the frequent necessity of cardiopulmonary bypass. We present the case of a 68-year-old female with a symptomatic, enlarging 6-cm type I IVC aneurysm. The patient underwent successful surgical resection and reconstruction using an interposition graft fashioned from a tubularized bovine pericardial patch under cardiopulmonary bypass. The postoperative course was unremarkable, and 6-month surveillance imaging confirmed graft patency without recurrence. This report highlights the feasibility of surgical intervention for symptomatic type I IVC aneurysms and describes a reconstructive technique using biologic material.

