title: Thoracic aortic aneurysms.
abstract: Remarkable progress has been made in the surgical treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. The decline in mortality and complication rates can be attributed to improvements in perioperative care and in surgical technique, particularly the adoption of adjunct distal aortic perfusion and cerebrospinal fluid drainage. Neurologic deficit is no longer a major threat to patients, as the use of adjuncts has brought the incidence down to 2.4% for all thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. However, we continue to pursue research to improve organ preservation, particularly for the most troublesome extent II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, The University of Texas at Houston Medical School, Memorial Hermann Hospital, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Estrera
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azizzadeh
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Safi
mesh_terms: D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*