title: TEVAR for acute uncomplicated aortic dissection: immediate repair versus medical therapy.
abstract: Medical management remains the standard treatment modality for acute uncomplicated descending aortic dissections. Intervention (by either open surgery or an endovascular approach) is currently reserved for patients who present with or subsequently develop complications (ie, complicated dissections). Despite the success of medical therapy in the acute management of uncomplicated dissection, long-term morbidity and mortality are far from ideal. The introduction of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been associated with reductions in morbidity and mortality in the treatment of complicated dissections. There is limited data regarding TEVAR for acute uncomplicated dissections. Early results from the INSTEAD (Investigation of Stent Grafts in Patients with Type B Aortic Dissection) trial, a randomized trial for TEVAR in subacute/chronic uncomplicated dissections, were not favorable. The ADSORB (Acute Uncomplicated Aortic Dissection Type B: Evaluating Stent-Graft Placement or Best Medical Treatment Alone) trial, a randomized trial for TEVAR in acute dissections, is currently underway. Nonetheless, current data available, including multiple reports proposing a variety of predictive factors, suggest that there may be a subset of higher-risk patients with acute uncomplicated dissections who could benefit from TEVAR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94306, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Dake
mesh_terms: D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome