Open surgery and endovascular techniques in treatment of acute abdominal arteriovenous fistulas

Abstract Acute abdominal arteriovenous fistulas in the setting of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms are a life-threatening conditions, thus a prompt diagnosis is required for proper treatment. Open, endovascular and hybrid repair have been proposed for their management, with pros and cons of each method. In particular, the evolution of endoluminal techniques guarantees an increasing feasibility of these procedures and a significant reduction of morbidity and mortality rates usually associated with open surgery. Nevertheless some concerns still remain regarding the mid- and long-term follow-up. The aim of this paper was to review and compare the reported clinical and technical results of conventional open surgery and endoluminal techniques in this scenario and to report the case of an acute aorto-iliac fistula due to a ruptured common iliac artery aneurysm into the iliac vein that was managed by endovascular repair at our Institution.