Young girl presenting with heart failure 5 years after laparoscopic appendectomy. Case report of an ilio-iliac AV fistula.

Secondary arteriovenous (AV) fistulae following appendectomy are very rare.We report the case of a 15-year-old girl suffering from progressive heart failure and sub-acute abdominal pain caused by an ilio-iliac AV fistula 5 years after a complicated appendectomy. The vessel-wall defects were closed by open surgery and the aneurysmatic iliac vein was gathered.Open fistula repair should be recommended to healthy and/or young patients, especially when they are not fully-grown. Endovascular treatment should be the therapy of choice in high-risk patients or patients with local contraindications against open surgery.     «

Secondary arteriovenous (AV) fistulae following appendectomy are very rare.We report the case of a 15-year-old girl suffering from progressive heart failure and sub-acute abdominal pain caused by an ilio-iliac AV fistula 5 years after a complicated appendectomy. The vessel-wall defects were closed by open surgery and the aneurysmatic iliac vein was gathered.Open fistula repair should be recommended to healthy and/or young patients, especially when they are not fully-grown. Endovascular treatment...     »