Bleeding through the fiber interstices of a knitted Dacron graft 12 years after its implantation: Report of a case

We present herein the case of a 65-year-old man who suddenly developed fres h perigraft bleeding into the space between a knitted Dacron bifurcated gra ft and the aneurysmal sac, 12 years after undergoing graft replacement. Int raoperative findings did not show Dacron fiber degeneration at the nonanast omotic sites or a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site. Widened Dacron fi ber interstices resulting from graft dilation without sufficient graft heal ing was thought to have caused delayed hemorrhage through the macroscopical ly intact graft material, followed by massive clot retention between the gr aft and the aneurysmal sac. This case report serves to demonstrate that car eful long-term follow-up is essential for patients who have undergone vascu lar graft replacement.