[Long-term MRI follow-up of aortic dissection in 56 patients: therapeutic impact].
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively assess the value of MRI in long-term follow-up of aortic dissection (AD) and its impact on therapy.


METHODS
Comparison of clinical progression and analysis of 215 MRI examinations performed on 56 patients in our center from 1991 to 2002.


RESULTS
Twenty-six patients (46%) had AD complications: 14 (54%) were asymptomatic and eight (31%) had subsequent surgical repair (native aorta upstream prosthesis disease in three patients and aneurismal dilatation of false lumen in five cases). Of the eight patients with secondary surgery, five (63%) were clinically asymptomatic. The delay between initial dissection and secondary surgery was less than 5 years in five patients and exceeded 10 years in three cases. The remaining 30 patients (54%) had unmodified radiological findings after a mean follow-up of 3.5 years (6 months to 9 years).


CONCLUSIONS
MRI depicted AD complications in long-term follow-up of sometimes asymptomatic patients, allowing for adaptation of surgical treatment in 26 cases (46%).
Le Pioufle-Perez
N
N
Services de Radiologie B, CHU Gabriel, Clermont-Ferrand, Cedex, France.
Chabrot
P
P
Azarnoush
K
K
Alfidja
A
A
Garcier
J M
JM
Camilleri
L
L
Boyer
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors