title: Surgical treatment of acute dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta.
abstract: Since 1959, 51 patients underwent open heart surgery for correction of an acute dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta. Upon admission, 33 patients were severely hypotensive or in progressive heart failure. Acute aortic insufficiency was found in 24 patients, and hemiplegia or hemiparesis in four. In 45 patients the ascending aorta was reconstructed with a woven Dacron graft. After excision of the dissected part of the aorta, primary anastomosis or patch aortoplasty was performed in six patients. The aortic valve remained intact in 26 patients, and resuspension of the commissures restored competence of the aortic valve in another nine. Sixteen patients required aortic valve replacement because of disrupture of the commissures. Dissection extended into the coronary ostia in nine cases. Reconstruction of the coronary system was accomplished by reimplantation of the ostia, interposition of a vein graft or aortocoronary bypass. Nine patients died within the early postoperative course from uncontrollable hemorrhage (four), further dissection (three) and myocardial infarction (two). Within the first year after surgery, another five patients died from acute aortic dissection (two), pseudomonas infection causing rupture of the proximal graft anastomosis (one) and myocardial infarction (two). Contraindications of antihypertensive treatment of acute dissection of the ascending aorta are discussed. We recommend prompt surgical intervention in acute dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications