Rupture of dacron aorto-femoral graft - Case report

A 74-year-old patient was admitted to our department in a serious general c ondition due to massive bleeding. He had been treated 10 years previously i n another hospital with an aorto-bifemoral bypass for obstructive disease u sing a knitted-Dacron graft. A large pulsating mass was present in the righ t iliac fossa as well as enormous pulsating enlargement of the scrotum. Ech o color-Doppler investigation detected dilation up to 5 cm in diameter of t he right branch of the graft and a large perigraft hematoma communicating w ith a similar mass in the scrotum. The patient was submitted to emergency s urgery and a large rupture of the graft was found. The dilated segment was resected and replaced by a new 8 mm Dacron graft. Postoperative course was uneventful.