Renal preservation in immediate bifurcation of the renal artery in a solitary kidney using inner branch in a physician-modified, fenestrated-branched endovascular graft

For high-risk patients with complex aortic aneurysms and post-dissection aneurysms, fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair (F/BEVAR) offers minimally invasive options customized to each individual's anatomy. Company-manufactured devices or physician-modified endovascular grafts performed under the purview of an investigational device exemption are two United States Food and Drug Administration-approved avenues to perform fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair. This case report describes a creative use of physician-modified endograft to salvage renal function in a solitary kidney with a near immediate bifurcation of the renal artery in a patient with post-dissection extent II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. In our patient, the immediate bifurcation (2 mm distal to the common left renal artery orifice) of the left renal artery in the setting of a known long-standing occlusion of a remotely placed right renal stent presented a clinical and technical challenge to maintaining this patient's kidney function without sacrificing a significant portion of his remaining solitary kidney. Additionally, each branch was sizeable (5 and 7 mm), perfusing the cranial and caudal half of the kidney, respectively. Early bifurcation of renal arteries often results in sacrifice of the smaller branch to obtain adequate target vessel seal. Although some analyses have shown no change in glomerular filtration rate from coverage of accessory renal arteries, more recent studies have indicated clinically significant drops in both glomerular filtration rate and kidney length at 2-year follow-up. Herein, we describe use of a combination of an inner and external branch modification to stent both branches to preserve renal parenchyma and function. The patient has provided written informed consent for publication of this case report and their associated imaging studies.