title: General moderate hypothermia in the surgical treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms.
abstract: The diagnosis and surgical treatment of aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta is difficult and some aspects of management remain controversial. We report 53 patients treated in the period 1983-1988; 25.9% of them had previously been erroneously diagnosed as having mediastinal cysts or tumours. Duplex scanning and computerised tomography were valuable adjuncts in establishing the correct diagnosis, which was confirmed by aortography in 52 patients. Of 49 patients operated upon electively three died with a mortality rate of 6.1%; of the 4 patients operated upon as emergencies 2 died. Fifty patients survived the operative procedure and of the 3 operated upon under normothermia 1 developed paraplegia, whereas of the 47 patients operated upon under moderate hypothermia (30 degrees-31 degrees C) only 1 developed paraplegia.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Surgery Department, Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery, Moscow, USSR.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Pokrovsky
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Yermoljuk
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sultanalijev
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Smolnikoff
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Zhutchkov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography