Splenomesenteric bypass as revascularisation technique after iatrogenic injury of the superior mesenteric artery during radical nephrectomy: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Iatrogenic vascular injuries during radical nephrectomy are rarely reported. In the case of an injury of the superior mesenteric artery, the consequences for the patient are potentially catastrophic. It occurs more frequently in patients with large renal tumors, due to the presence of bulky perihilar adenopathies, or in cases of pyelonephritis. In most cases, the inadvertent injury of the artery occurs due to the difficulty in distinguishing it from the left renal artery. CASE: 69-year-old male, with a malignant neoplasm of the left kidney with the involvement of the tail of the pancreas, tumor thrombus in the left renal vein and multiple left para-aortic adenopathies, whose histological examination revealed to be a renal sarcomatoid carcinoma pT4N1M0G3. A radical nephrectomy was performed with caudal splenopancreatectomy and left paraaortic lymphadenectomy, with an iatrogenic injury of the superior mesenteric artery at its origin. A terminoterminal anastomosis was performed from the proximal stump of the splenic artery. The postoperative period went uneventfully. Control imaging in the follow-up showed permeability of the celiac trunk and the superior mesenteric artery. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-operative superior mesenteric artery injury should be promptly identified and repaired to prevent gut ischemia and all its dire consequences. There are different repair options, and the technique should be chosen according to the degree of injury. The splenomesenteric bypass has numerous advantages.