title: Long-term survival after open repair of chronic distal aortic dissection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The optimal treatment of chronic distal aortic dissection remains controversial, with endovascular stent-graft techniques challenging traditional surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1994 to April 2007, 104 patients (82 male, median age 60.5 years) with chronic distal aortic dissection underwent surgical repair, 0 to 21 years after initial diagnosis of acute type A or B dissection (median 2.1 years). Twenty-three (22%) patients underwent urgent-emergent surgery. Mean aortic diameter was 6.9 +/- 1.4 cm. Indications for surgery, other than aortic expansion, were pain in 6 (6%) patients, malperfusion in 6 (6%), and rupture in 11 (11%). Forty-nine (47%) had previous cardioaortic surgery (29% dissection-related), 21 (20%) had coronary artery disease, 12 (12%) had Marfan syndrome, and 4 (4%) were on chronic dialysis. Twenty-six (25%) had a thrombosed false lumen. Thirty (29%) patients required reimplantation of visceral arteries; 8.3 +/- 2.7 segmental artery pairs were sacrificed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hospital mortality was 9.6% (10 patients). Paraplegia occurred in 5 (4.8%). Twenty-seven patients (26%) experienced adverse outcome (death within one year, paraplegia, stroke, or dialysis). Adverse outcome was associated with atheroma (p = 0.04, odds ratio = 4.3). Survival was 78% at 1, 68% at 5, and 59% at 10 years (average follow-up, 7.7 +/- 4.1 years). Freedom from distal aortic reoperation was 99% at 1, 93% at 5, and 83% at 10 years. After one year, patients enjoyed longevity equivalent to a normal age-sex matched population (standardized mortality ratio = 1.38, p = 0.23). By multivariate analysis, atheroma (p = 0.0005, relative risk = 9.32) and age (p = 0.0003, relative risk = 1.15/year) were risk factors for long-term survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The efficacy of open repair for distal chronic dissection is highlighted by normal survival after the first year, and a low reoperation-reintervention rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. stefanozoli@gmail.com
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zoli
authors.forename: Christian D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Etz
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roder
authors.forename: Christoph S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bodian
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Luozzo
authors.forename: Randall B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Griepp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality