title: Management of extensive lesions of the aortic arch: review of 42 consecutive cases.
abstract: This retrospective study reviews the long-term results in aortic arch surgery. Forty-two consecutive patients (44-74 years) were operated on between 1980 and 1995. Nineteen patients had acute dissections of the aortic arch, 11 had chronic dissections and 12 had aneurysms. Twenty patients were given emergency surgery and 22 were operated on electively. Reconstruction of the aortic arch alone (31%) or with other aortic segments (69%) was performed during antegrade cerebral perfusion (81%) or circulatory arrest (17%). Sixteen patients died during the first 30 days (38%). Early mortality rates were 60% in emergencies and 18% in elective cases. Early mortality in the group with aneurysms was 33% and 40% in patients in the dissection group. Long-term follow-up to July 1998 is now complete. Twelve patients (28%) died during the follow-up period; 4 of these deaths were due to a rupture of the descending aorta. Three patients (11.5%) underwent late reoperations on the remaining aorta, without operative mortality. We recommend careful follow-up of patients with aortic arch disease and, when indicated, surgery to avoid the rupture of the remaining aorta.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sahlgren's Hospital, University of Göteborg, Sweden. vincio@goteborg.utfors.se
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lepore
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rådberg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies