Renal Transplant Artery Autologous Saphenous Vein Graft Aneurysms: Late Presentation and the Need for Recall and Surveillance.

ABSTRACT

Autologous saphenous vein grafts are occasionally used in renal transplant recipients, particularly in living donors with short donor vessels or after donor vessel injury during allograft procurement. Autologous saphenous vein graft aneurysm formation is described as a late complication following the use of this conduit in renal transplant. We report a case of a 45-year-old woman who developed an autologous saphenous vein graft aneurysm 21 years after her living donor transplant, which was successfully managed with explantation of the graft, cold perfusion ex situ, and resection of the aneurysm, which was followed by reconstruction using deceased donor iliac vessels. The graft was then successfully reimplanted. Based on this experience and after a review of the literature related to autologous saphenous vein graft aneurysms in renal transplant, we recommend that surveillance for this particular complication should be considered no later than 10 years after implant of an autologous saphenous vein graft when used as an arterial conduit.