A rare case of sudden death due to aortogastric fistula after endovascular aortic repair of the descending aorta

Aortogastric fistulas are a rare type of aortoenteric fistula (AEF). Aortoenteric fistulas have been reported as a complication of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) after the placement of prosthetic materials. Considering the anatomic relationship of the descending thoracic aorta and the stomach, the formation of an aortic fistula involving the stomach is an extremely rare case. We report the case of a 77-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital due to severe mid-thoracic chest pain and was diagnosed with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Her medical history included an aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta, which was treated using the Thoracic Endovascular Repair (TEVAR) method several months prior. The patient died a few hours later amid hemorrhagic shock. The autopsy confirmed the upper gastrointestinal bleeding and revealed a fistula between the descending thoracic aorta and stomach, which were in anatomic contact because of a sliding hiatus hernia.