title: Extensive aortic reconstruction for aortic aneurysms in Marfan syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Marfan syndrome patients frequently develop aneurysms or dissections involving multiple segments of the aorta, and occasionally require staged replacement of the entire aorta. This study reviews the surgical outcome of patients with Marfan syndrome who underwent extensive aortic reconstruction. Extensive reconstruction is defined as reconstruction of more than two segments of the ascending, arch, descending thoracic, or abdominal aorta.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 1973 to December 1997, 101 patients with Marfan syndrome underwent aortic operation. Twenty-six patients (25.7%) had extensive aortic reconstruction. All 26 patients suffered from aortic dissection: 13 patients had Stanford type A and 13 had type B dissection. Twenty-three patients (88.4%) had annuloaortic ectasia and aortic regurgitation. Surgical procedures included composite valve graft replacement (n = 23, 88.4%), aortic arch reconstruction (n = 15, 57.7%), graft replacement of the descending thoracic aorta (n = 6, 23.1%), and graft replacement of the thoracoabdominal aorta (n = 16, 61.5%). Five patients (19.2%) had total thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, and three patients (11.5%) had replacement of the entire aorta. Twenty-one patients (80.8%) required multiple operations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Follow-up was complete in all patients. The 30-day survival rate was 88.5%. None of the survivors had paraplegia or paraparesis. The overall long-term survival rate was 88.5 +/- 6% at 1 year, and 81.7 +/- 9% at 9 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aortic surgery prolongs survival in patients with Marfan syndrome, and currently there is a relatively low associated morbidity and mortality even for aggressive surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niinami
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aomi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tagusari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koyanagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008382:Marfan Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome