title: Chronic traumatic aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta.
abstract: Between 1970 and December 1984, 28 patients with post-traumatic chronic aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta were consecutively operated on in our Division of Cardiac Surgery. Ages ranged from 16 to 66 years (mean 38 years); 25 were male and three were female. In all cases, a history of a major deceleration injury was documented. The interval between trauma and operation ranged from 2 to 50 years (mean 11.4 +/- 7.8). Twenty-three (82.1%) were asymptomatic. Only one operation was performed on an urgent basis for recurrent episodes of hemoptysis. All patients underwent resection with prosthetic tubulargraft (25 cases) and patch-graft (3 cases) replacements. In all patients but one, left heart bypass was employed. No hospital deaths, late deaths, paraplegia or graft-related complications occurred. Considering the risk of late rupture and the young age of most of the patients, surgery in chronic post-traumatic aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta is always indicated. We consider left heart bypass a safe technique in preventing renal and medullar ischemic injuries.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Cardiochirurgia A. De Gasperis, Ente Ospedaliero Niguarda, Ca'Granda, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quaini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Donatelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vitali