title: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for chronic DeBakey IIIb aortic dissection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for chronic DeBakey IIIb dissection with associated descending aneurysm remains controversial. This study examines long-term results of TEVAR for this disorder including examination of anatomic features associated with TEVAR outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between July 2005 and January 2013, 32 patients underwent TEVAR for chronic (>30 days) DeBakey IIIb dissection involving the descending thoracic aorta at a single institution and constituted the study cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean interval from dissection to TEVAR was 32 ± 44 months (range, 1 to 146 months). There were no 30-day or in-hospital deaths, strokes, or paraplegia. During a 54-month median follow-up, there were no aortic-related deaths. Significant thoracic aneurysm sac regression (>1 cm) in the intervened segment was observed in 89%. Thoracic remodeling was not correlated with the number of visceral vessels arising from the true lumen or the number or size of residual distal fenestrations; failure of thoracic remodeling was associated with fenestrations distal to the endograft(s) in the descending thoracic aorta, most often stent graft-induced new entry tears. Complete resolution of the thoracic and abdominal false lumen after TEVAR was observed in 15.6% (n = 5). All patients in this group had all visceral vessels arising from the true lumen and fewer than three residual distal fenestrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is effective for chronic DeBakey IIIb dissection with associated descending aneurysm, with excellent 30-day and long-term outcomes and significant aortic remodeling in the vast majority of patients. Thoracic remodeling does not appear dependent on distal anatomic characteristics of the true and false lumens, although care should be taken to cover all thoracic fenestrations and avoid creation of stent graft-induced new entry tears to ensure clinical success. Complete aortic remodeling was observed only in the setting of all visceral vessels off the true lumen with fewer than three residual distal fenestrations, and this would appear the ideal anatomy for TEVAR in this scenario.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Electronic address: gchad.hughes@duke.edu.
authors.forename: G Chad
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Asvin M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ganapathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Englum
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schechter
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Hanghang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McCann
mesh_terms: D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome