Disconnection of multilayer stents 2 years after treatment of a hepatic artery aneurysm.

Purpose: To report midterm failure of tandem peripheral multilayer stents used to treat a common hepatic artery aneurysm (HAA) that had a good early result.

Case Report: A 71-year-old man with multiple comorbidities had a 3.4-cm HAA treated with 2 Cardiatis peripheral multilayer stents (8×100 and 9×60 mm) that overlapped by 3 cm. At the 12-month follow-up, the stents were patent, with signs of collateral patency and full thrombosis of the aneurysm sac without expansion. At the 18-month visit, the sac had expanded to 4.5 cm without signs of revascularization, but there was an initial stent dislocation; a wait and watch approach was elected. On the 24-month imaging, the HAA had enlarged to 6 cm, with disconnection of the 2 stents. A new multilayer stent (9×100 mm) was positioned to "bridge" the gap; however, the proximal part of the new stent did not correctly expand despite multiple attempts to overcome the infolding. The 3 stents became completely thrombosed, but thanks to rich mesenteric collaterals, perfusion of the proper hepatic artery was adequate.

Conclusion: The multilayer peripheral stent appears to be an alternative for the treatment of visceral aneurysms in patients with a high surgical risk, but it is not a conventional stent. There are unknowns about its function, behavior, and application. Therefore, more experience is needed to validate the effectiveness of the multilayer stent.