Retrograde Stent Placement for Symptomatic Spontaneous Isolated Dissection of the Superior Mesenteric Artery

Various treatment options are currently available for spontaneous isolated dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SIDSMA) including conservative management, anticoagulation therapy, endovascular stenting, and surgical repair. We report an experience with retrograde open mesenteric stenting for SIDSMA. A 45-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute onset of severe abdominal and back pain. Computed tomography angiography revealed a long occlusion of the SMA trunk. Initially, an endovascular solution was attempted, but this was unsuccessful as the guidewire failed to cross the lesion. Four hours after the onset of symptoms, because of aggravation of abdominal pain, the patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy under general anesthesia. The small intestine looked pale, and the arterial pulsation was not recognized in the mesentery. A 5-cm mesenteric portion of the SMA trunk was exposed. The SIDSMA diagnosis was confirmed after arteriotomy because a freshly formed thrombus and a severely stenosed true lumen (TL) were detected beneath the adventitia. From the proximal stump of the TL, a 6-French sheath introducer was inserted in a retrograde fashion. The occlusion was traversed with a 0.035-in guidewire. After predilatation, self-expandable stents were placed inside the occluded SMA. The patient was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks after the operation. Stent patency has been confirmed for 6 months. Retrograde stenting performed under laparotomy could be a rescue procedure after the failure of percutaneous stenting for SIDSMA.