Paraneoplatic Obstruction of Descending Thoracic Aorta: A New Indication for Endovascular Surgery?

We describe the rare case of a 61-year-old man admitted to our emergency department with visceral-organ and lower-limb malperfusion because of an unknown retroperitoneal high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and a severe paraneoplastic obstruction of the descending thoracic aorta, treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the patient was discharged within 4 days. At 6-month follow-up, computed tomography showed complete patency of the descending thoracic aorta. This single case experience shows that thoracic endovascular aortic repair can be a less invasive and effective off-label alternative to exclude infiltrated or obstructed descending thoracic aorta, thus avoiding conventional surgery.
(Copyright © 2019 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)