Diagnosis and treatment of congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm: a systematic review of reported cases

Background

Congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is distinctly rare in infants and children and carries a high mortality rate. Our objective was to summarize the experience of the diagnosis and treatment in patients with congenital AAA.

Methods

Reported cases of congenital AAA published prior to November 8, 2014, were identified through PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and reference lists. All selected cases were evaluated for main clinical characteristics.

Results

Twenty-six cases of congenital AAA were identified in the English language literature. Congenital AAA occurred primarily in children under three years old, but it was also found in young adults and fetuses. With regards to the localization, the great majority of congenital AAA was infrarenal AAA. The majority of the AAA patients lacked specific symptoms, and a painless pulsatile abdominal mass was the most common clinical presentation. The diagnosis of AAA was based on ultrasound scanning in twenty-five cases, multi-slice spiral computed tomography angiography (MSCTA) in sixteen cases, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in nine cases. Histopathological analyses were available in seven cases. Seven patients received conservative management. Surgical treatment was performed in seventeen cases, and open repair with an artificial graft was the main surgical intervention. The mortality associated with congenital AAA was high (30.76%). Ruptured aneurysm and renal failure were the main causes of death.

Conclusions

Good outcomes can be achieved in children with early identification of congenital AAA and individualized surgical repair with grafts.

Extensive congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm and renovascular disease in the neonate

Primary congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm is an extremely rare entity, with only 15 patients reported in the literature. Options for repair are often limited secondary to branch vessel size and other anatomic limitations. We present a neonate diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm on prenatal ultrasound. A postpartum computed tomography angiogram revealed an extensive type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm extending to the aortic bifurcation and resulting in bilateral renal artery stenosis. The unique features of this patient and challenges in management are discussed.

Large neonatal thoracoabdominal aneurysm: case report and review of the literature

We present a neonate with a large saccular aneurysm of the thoracoabdominal aorta, extending from the intrathoracic aorta to the left common iliac artery. No underlying cause could be identified. Despite an early diagnosis, the aneurysm was deemed inoperable because of the lengthy involvement and the frail aspect of all visceral arteries. A review of the literature on congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm in infants was conducted. Eleven cases of live-born infants with a congenital abdominal aortic aneurysm have previously been published. None of them involved as large a part of the thoracic and abdominal aorta as the case presented here.

Ascending aortic aneurysm in a fetus due to a benign nodular myofibroblastic lesion

A fetal echocardiogram at 20 weeks of gestation revealed a large ascending aortic aneurysm in the presence of a normal aortic root and normal intracardiac anatomy. No other abnormalities were noted in the fetus. Upon termination of pregnancy, histopathological examination revealed an isolated benign nodular myofibroblastic lesion of likely hamartomatous origin, a first description of such pathology contributing to the formation of an aneurysm in the ascending aorta.

Aortic vasculopathy with aneurysm: a rare cause of fetal hydrops

An hydropic fetus seen at 28-weeks gestation had a saccular aortic aneurysm in the descending thoracic aorta. Histology disclosed marked fibrointimal hyperplasia, thrombus, and attenuation of the tunica media. The remainder of the descending thoracic aorta showed fibrointimal hyperplasia. We speculate that the narrowed lumen and rigid aortic wall resulting from this vasculopathy provided an increased afterload leading to cardiac failure.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm in a young child: a 25-year follow-up study

Although abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common problem in elderly patients, AAA is rare in children. Despite its rarity, early diagnosis is imperative to prevent limb-threatening or fatal complications. The treatment may be complicated, because it must allow for the growth of the child. A saccular AAA in an 11-year-old boy, complicated by three repeated embolizations to the lower extremities and treated by aneurysmorrhaphy 25 years ago, was studied. In addition, the long-term function of a vein interposition graft in the common femoral artery was identified.