Endograft repair for pseudoaneurysms and penetrating ulcers of the ascending aorta

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to report midterm results of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms (AAPs) and penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs) of the ascending aorta. METHODS: This study was retrospective and performed at tertiary centers. Eight patients with AAPs (n = 5) and PAUs (n = 3) received total endovascular repair of the ascending aorta. Patients with a history of type A aortic dissection or fusiform aneurysm were excluded. All patients analyzed were considered to be at high risk for open repair at the time of presentation. RESULTS: Urgent intervention was performed in 6 (75%) cases. Primary clinical success was achieved in 7 (87.5%) cases. A low-flow type 3 endoleak remained asymptomatic and was managed conservatively. No TEVAR-related in-hospital mortality, primary conversion, cerebrovascular accidents, valve impairment, or myocardial infarction occurred. All patients were discharged home, alive and independent, after a median length of stay of 6 (range: 5-24) days. No patient was lost at a mean follow-up of 40 \ub1 33 (range: 4-93) months. Ongoing primary clinical success was maintained in all but 1 patient (type 3 endoleak): aortically related reintervention was never required. No endograft breakage or migration was observed. At 1-year follow-up, 7 (87.5%) aortic lesions had significant reduction in diameter ( 655 mm). CONCLUSIONS: Ascending TEVAR was feasible, safe, and effective for AAPs and PAUs. In a very select subset of lesions, midterm results were favorable, with both standard and custom-designed endografts

Long-term outcomes of surgical aortic fenestration for complicated acute type B aortic dissections

IntroductionSurgical aortic fenestration has been used for treating ischemic complications of acute type B aortic dissection (ABAD). In the current endovascular era, surgical aortic fenestration may serve as an alternative for these patients after percutaneous failure. The purpose of this study is to describe our surgical suprarenal and infrarenal aortic fenestration technique, and to report the long-term outcomes of this approach in the management of complicated ABAD.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of 18 patients treated with either suprarenal (n = 10) or infrarenal surgical fenestration (n = 8) for complicated ABAD between 1988 and 2002. Suprarenal fenestration was performed through a thoracoabdominal incision in the 10th intercostal space, whereas patients treated with infrarenal fenestration underwent a midline laparotomy. A longitudinal aortotomy was performed and the true and false lumens were identified, followed by a wide resection of the intimal membrane.ResultsMedian age was 60 years (range, 48-82 years) and 89% (n = 16) were male. The in-hospital mortality was 22% (n = 4), which included two deaths after suprarenal fenestration and two deaths after infrarenal fenestration. In the remaining patients, full visceral, renal, and lower extremity function was recovered, except for 1 patient with paraplegia at admission in which the neurologic deficit was permanent. Median follow-up of the surviving patients was 10.0 years (interquartile range, 12.5; range, 0.5-20 years). During follow-up, none of the patients developed renal or visceral ischemia, or ischemic complications to the lower extremities, and no significant dilatations of the treated aortic segments were noted. Three of 14 patients with ABAD who were discharged alive expired during the follow-up period due to causes unrelated to the surgical procedure.ConclusionSurgical aortic fenestration represents an effective and durable option for treating ischemic complications of ABAD. Actually, this conservative surgical technique may serve as the alternative treatment in case of contraindications or failure of endovascular management of complicated ABAD

Meta-analysis of open versus endovascular repair for ruptured descending thoracic aortic aneurysm

IntroductionRuptured descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (rDTAA) is associated with high mortality rates. Data supporting endovascular thoracic aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR) to reduce mortality compared with open repair are limited to small series. We investigated published reports for contemporary outcomes of open and endovascular repair of rDTAA.MethodsWe systematically reviewed all studies describing the outcomes of rDTAA treated with open repair or TEVAR since 1995 using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) databases. Case reports or studies published before 1995 were excluded. All articles were critically appraised for relevance, validity, and availability of data regarding treatment outcomes. All data were systematically pooled, and meta-analyses were performed to investigate 30-day mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and paraplegia rates after both types of repair.ResultsOriginal data of 224 patients (70% male) with rDTAA were identified: 143 (64%) were treated with TEVAR and 81 (36%) with open repair. Mean age was 70 ± 5.6 years. The 30-day mortality was 19% for patients treated with TEVAR for rDTAA compared 33% for patients treated with open repair, which was significant (odds ratio [OR], 2.15, P = .016). The 30-day occurrence rates of myocardial infarction (11.1% vs 3.5%; OR, 3.70, P < .05), stroke (10.2% vs 4.1%; OR, 2.67; P = .117), and paraplegia (5.5% vs 3.1%; OR, 1.83; P = .405) were increased after open repair vs TEVAR, but this failed to reach statistical significance for stroke and paraplegia. Five additional patients in the TEVAR group died of aneurysm-related causes after 30 days, during a median follow-up of 17 ± 10 months. Follow-up data after open repair were insufficient. The estimated aneurysm-related survival at 3 years after TEVAR was 70.6%.ConclusionEndovascular repair of rDTAA is associated with a significantly lower 30-day mortality rate compared with open surgical repair. TEVAR was associated with a considerable number of aneurysm-related deaths during follow-up

Utilizing numerical simulations to prevent stent graft kinking during thoracic endovascular aortic repair

Numerical simulations of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) may be implemented in the preoperative workflow if credible and reliable. We present the application of a TEVAR simulation methodology to an 82-year-old woman with a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer in the left hemiarch, that underwent a left common carotid artery to left subclavian artery bypass and consequent TEVAR in zone 2. During the intervention, kinking of the distal thoracic stent graft occurred and the simulation was able to reproduce this event. This report highlights the potential and reliability of TEVAR simulations to predict perioperative adverse events and short-term postoperative technical results. (J Vasc Surg Cases Innov Tech 2023;9:101269.

Chlamydia Pneumoniae and Acute Aortic Syndrome: A Call for a Multi-Institutional Study

Chlamydia Pneumoniae (CP) infection is strongly associated with coronary artery disease, as well as with atherosclerosis of the carotid and peripheral arteries. However, the role of CP in the pathogenesis of aortic disease remains controversial. Our present experience suggests no correlation between a current infection with C. pneumoniae and acute aortic dissection. Well-designed large prospective studies are needed in order to clarify the pathophysiologic role of CP infection in acute and chronic aortic disease

Chlamydia Pneumoniae and Acute Aortic Syndrome: A Call for a Multi-Institutional Study

Chlamydia Pneumoniae (CP) infection is strongly associated with coronary artery disease, as well as with atherosclerosis of the carotid and peripheral arteries. However, the role of CP in the pathogenesis of aortic disease remains controversial. Our present experience suggests no correlation between a current infection with C. pneumoniae and acute aortic dissection. Well-designed large prospective studies are needed in order to clarify the pathophysiologic role of CP infection in acute and chronic aortic disease

Validation and Verification of High-Fidelity Simulations of Thoracic Stent-Graft Implantation

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) is the preferred treatment option for thoracic aortic pathologies and consists of inserting a self-expandable stent-graft into the pathological region to restore the lumen. Computational models play a significant role in procedural planning and must be reliable. For this reason, in this work, high-fidelity Finite Element (FE) simulations are developed to model thoracic stent-grafts. Experimental crimp/release tests are performed to calibrate stent-grafts material parameters. Stent pre-stress is included in the stent-graft model. A new methodology for replicating device insertion and deployment with explicit FE simulations is proposed. To validate this simulation, the stent-graft is experimentally released into a 3D rigid aortic phantom with physiological anatomy and inspected in a computed tomography (CT) scan at different time points during deployment with an ad-hoc set-up. A verification analysis of the adopted modeling features compared to the literature is performed. With the proposed methodology the error with respect to the CT is on average 0.92 +/- 0.64%, while it is higher when literature models are adopted (on average 4.77 +/- 1.83%). The presented FE tool is versatile and customizable for different commercial devices and applicable to patient-specific analyses

PREDICTORS OF SUBSEQUENT INTERVENTION AFTER INITIAL TREATMENT FOR ACUTE AORTIC DISSECTION

none15siopenLettinga, Mark; Patel, Himanshu; Peterson, Mark; Ehrlich, Marek; Myrmel, Truls; Conklin, Lori; Mussa, Firas; Bavaria, Joseph; Gleason, Thomas; Di Eusanio, Marco; Montgomery, Daniel; Eagle, Kim; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Trimarchi, SantiLettinga, Mark; Patel, Himanshu; Peterson, Mark; Ehrlich, Marek; Myrmel, Truls; Conklin, Lori; Mussa, Firas; Bavaria, Joseph; Gleason, Thomas; Di Eusanio, Marco; Montgomery, Daniel; Eagle, Kim; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Trimarchi, Sant

AORTIC DISSECTION IN THE ELDERLY: COMPARING SEPTUAGENARIANS AND OCTOGENARIANS

none15siopenJabara, Justin; Peterson, Mark; Trimarchi, Santi; Myrmel, Truls; Reece, T. Brett; Bossone, Eduardo; Hutchison, Stuart; Gilon, Dan; Appoo, Jehangir; Di Eusanio, Marco; Montgomery, Daniel; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Eagle, Kim; Patel, HimanshuJabara, Justin; Peterson, Mark; Trimarchi, Santi; Myrmel, Truls; Reece, T. Brett; Bossone, Eduardo; Hutchison, Stuart; Gilon, Dan; Appoo, Jehangir; Di Eusanio, Marco; Montgomery, Daniel; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Eagle, Kim; Patel, Himansh

STUDY OF ACUTE TYPE A AORTIC DISSECTION PATIENTS WITH UNDILATED AORTAS

none15siopenFroehlich, Benjamin; Trimarchi, Santi; Bossone, Eduardo; Suzuki, Toru; Braverman, Alan; Kline-Rogers, Eva; Appoo, Jehangir; Di Eusanio, Marco; Gleason, Thomas; Abdul-Nour, Khaled; Lee, Teng; Montgomery, Daniel; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Eagle, KimFroehlich, Benjamin; Trimarchi, Santi; Bossone, Eduardo; Suzuki, Toru; Braverman, Alan; Kline-Rogers, Eva; Appoo, Jehangir; Di Eusanio, Marco; Gleason, Thomas; Abdul-Nour, Khaled; Lee, Teng; Montgomery, Daniel; Isselbacher, Eric; Nienaber, Christoph; Eagle, Ki