Successful treatment of an infected thoracic endovascular stent graft.

A 70-year-old man with a chronic type B aortic dissection was treated with two stent grafts deployed in the descending thoracic aorta. The patient was re-admitted to the hospital at 16 months after thoracic endovascular stent grafting because of a high fever. A blood culture showed sepsis due to a Staphylococcus species. A CT scan showed an increase in the size of the thrombosed false lumen. Complete excision of the infected descending aortic wall and infected stent graft were performed. The descending thoracic aorta was reconstructed using a rifampicin-bonded Dacron graft and omental wrapping. The combination of in situ graft replacement using a rifampicin-bonded graft and omental wrapping is considered an effective treatment for thoracic stent graft infection.