Abdominal aortic aneurysectomy after kidney transplantation: case report and review of the literature.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms have been a rare finding in patients who have previously undergone renal transplantation. Previous operative strategies attempting to provide renal allograft protection during aortic cross-clamping have included extra-anatomic permanent as well as temporary bypass, heparin bonded shunts, in situ perfusion cooling of the allograft, and general hypothermia. These maneuvers, although generally successful, have recently been challenged by reports describing no specific protective measures. A case of a 5.0 cm but rapidly expanding abdominal aortic aneurysm in a patient who had undergone a prior successful kidney transplant is presented along with a literature review of 27 available cases on the subject.