Large Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm Resection After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Patient: Female, 41 Final Diagnosis: Hepatiic artery aneurysm Symptoms: None Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Surgery OBJECTIVE: Rare disease BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery (HA) pseudoaneurysm (PSA) after liver transplantation (OLTx) is rare but often fatal complication requiring quick repair. Its prevalence in patients after OLTx is around 0.94%. CASE REPORT: A 41-year-old female patient underwent a full-graft orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) for alcoholic liver cirrhosis in 2017. During regular postoperative Doppler ultrasonography (DU) check-ups, a large 3-cm pseudo-aneurysm (PSA) was detected on the hepatic artery. The patient underwent a computed angiography (CTA) to verify the PSA anatomical localization and relationship with the transplanted liver graft. Selective celiac arteriography showed HA PSA and 90% stenosis of the hepatic artery after PSA. The stent graft placement was unsuccessful as the guiding wire was unable to pass through the post-PSA HA stenosis. The patient was scheduled for an open repair under general anesthesia. Through a right subcostal incision, the HA PSA was resected and the HA was mobilized and re-anastomosed using an end-to-end technique. Three months after the procedure, the patient has a good liver graft perfusion through the HA with no sign of PSA reoccurrence or stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Early detection of the HA PSA after OLTx is a life-threatening complication requiring prompt treatment. If endovascular treatment options fail, open surgical repair, despite its challenges, is the only possible treatment option.