The "mini-elephant trunk" technique of distal anastomosis in total arch replacement through a median sternotomy for a distal aortic arch aneurysm.
A median sternotomy is considered to have several advantages over a left thoracotomy as a route for the surgical treatment of a distal aortic arch aneurysm, including less pain and less lung damage. In a median sternotomy, distal anastomosis is such an important problem that we herein present a useful technique to prevent surgical bleeding from it. An invaginated 40-mm-long graft is inserted into the distal aorta, sutured to the aortic wall, unfolded, and anastomosed with a four-limbed tube graft. We applied this "mini-elephant trunk" technique to total arch replacement for both a saccural distal aneurysm, where the distal aorta was transected, and a fusiform aneurysm, where the invaginated graft was sutured by the "inclusion" method. This technique enables a greater surface contact area between the graft and the aortic wall at the distal anastomosis, thus resulting in a reduced risk of bleeding.
Takami
Y
Y
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kasugai Municipal Hospital, Aichi, Japan.
Ina
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery; D013536:Suture Techniques