Aortic dissection is a disease with high mortality rates. Due to the urgency of time, the diagnosis, treatment processes, and strategies of acute aortic dissection follow specific guidelines. However, patients with chronic aortic dissection are often neglected. Choosing the best medication therapy and surgical interventions remains challenging, and there is still a lack of guideline recommendations. With the improvement of imaging diagnostic methods for aortic diseases, the progress of endovascular surgical techniques, and the development of new endovascular graft devices in recent years, clinical data of the treatment of chronic aortic dissection is also gradually increasing. This article summarized the current new technologies and clinical research results for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic aortic dissection, aiming to provide new suggestions for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic aortic dissection.
ObjectiveTo evaluate clinical outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR)for the treatment of Stanford type B aortic dissection (AD)and descending aortic aneurysm. MethodsClinical data of 20 patients with Stanford type B AD or descending aortic aneurysm who underwent TEVAR in West China Hospital from March to June 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 19 male and 1 female patients with their age of 41-76 (58.3±10.2)years. Clinical outcomes were analyzed. ResultsAmong the 20 patients, 18 patients were successfully discharged, 1 patient refused further postoperative treatment and was discharged, and 1 patient died postoperatively. Sixteen patients (88.9%)were followed up for over 3 months. In all the patients during follow-up, true lumen diameter recovered within the scope of intravascular stents, and there was thrombosis in false lumen or aneurysm lumen. ConclusionTEVAR provides a new choice with significant advantages for the treatment of Stanford type B AD, especially for the elderly and patients with concomitant serious diseases, so it is worthy of clinical application.
ObjectiveTo report a simple and safe method for in situ fenestration of left subclavian artery in thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).MethodsTwenty-eight patients received in situ fenestration of left subclavian artery in TEVAR from June 2018 to May 2019 in our center, including 23 males and 5 females at an average age of 57.7±9.6 years. Among them, 12 patients used adjustable sheath or guiding catheter (a group A) and 16 patients used "J. D"technique (a group B). The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared.ResultsIn the group A, 1 patient failed to receive fenestration and was transferred to the chimney technique. In the group B, 1 patient due to the traction system shift during operation, was completed by traditional adjustable sheath puncture. The group B had shorter alignment-perforation time and trigger time and less complications. There was no significant difference in endoleak during short-term follow-up between the two groups.ConclusionThe "J. D" technique is simple, safe and easy to obtain materials. It effectively reduces the risk caused by difficult sheath alignment during the in situ fenestration of the left subclavian artery. Although the results of recent follow-up are not significantly different from traditional methods, it still needs to accumulate the cases to observe the possible risks and difficulties.
ObjectiveTo explore the short- and mid-term efficacy of Castor single branch aortic stent combined with subclavian artery bypass grafting for the aortic arch lesions. MethodsA retrospective analysis of the clinical data of patients with proximal anchor zone insufficiency aortic arch lesions treated with Castor stent combined with carotid-subclavian bypass at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from August 2020 to November 2023 was performed. ResultsA total of 22 patients were included, including 19 males and 3 females, with an average age of 56±16 years. There were 18 patients of aortic dissection and 4 patients of aortic arch tumors. The success rate of surgical technique was 100.0%, and the average postoperative hospital stay for patients was 10±4 days. The median follow-up time was 20 months. During the follow-up period, there were no major complications such as endoleak, paraplegia, cerebral infarction, renal insufficiency, etc., and all patients had no readmissions. ConclusionFor proximal anchor zone insufficiency aortic arch lesions, the treatment method of using a Castor stent branch placed in the left common carotid artery can effectively extend the anchor zone, avoid the huge trauma of open chest surgery, and achieve good short- and mid-term efficacy.
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) with hostile stent-graft proximal landing zone. MethodsA retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 13 patients with BTAI with hostile stent-graft proximal landing zone treated by TEVAR between December 2007 and December 2014. There were 10 males and 3 females with the mean age of 44 years (range, 24-64 years). The imaging examination indicated Stanford type B aortic dissection in 7 cases, pseudoaneurysm in 3 cases, aneurysm in 1 case, and penetrating ulcer in 2 cases. According to the partition method of thoracic aortic lesion by Mitchell, 8 cases underwent stent-graft with left subclavian artery (LSA) coverage, 3 underwent chimney stents for LSA, and 2 for left common carotid artery (LCCA). In 2 cases receiving chimney TEVAR involving LCCA, one underwent steel coils at the proximal segment of LSA to avoid type II endoleak and the other underwent in situ fenestration for endovascular reconstruction of LSA. ResultsAll TEVAR procedures were successfully performed. The mean operation time was 1.8 hours (range, 1-3 hours); the mean intraoperative blood loss was 120 mL (range, 30-200 mL); and the mean hospitalization time was 15 days (range, 7-37 days). No perioperative death and paraplegia occurred. The patients were followed up 3-30 months (mean, 18 months). Type I endoleak occurred in 1 case during operation and spontaneously healed within 6 months. Hematoma at brachial puncture site with median nerve compression symptoms occurred in 1 case at 3 weeks after operation; ultrasound examination showed brachial artery pseudoaneurysm and thrombosis, and satisfactory recovery was obtained after pseudoaneurysmectomy. No obvious chest pain, shortness of breath, left upper limbs weakness, numbness, and dizziness symptoms were observed. Imaging examination revealed that stentgraft and branched stent remained in stable condition. Meanwhile the blood flow was unobstructed. No lesions expanded and ruptured. No new death, bacterial infection, or other serious complications occurred. ConclusionAccording to Mitchell method, individualized plan may be the key to a promising result. More patients and further follow-up need to be included, studied, and observed.
Objective To analyze the influencing factors of delirium after endovascular aortic repair, and to provide a basis for clinical nursing and prevention of this condition. Methods Patients who underwent endovascular aortic repair at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2018 to 2019 were selected. The Chinese version of the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Nu-DESC) was used to assess whether postoperative delirium occurred. Patients with a Nu-DESC score ≥ 3 were assigned to the delirium group. Non-delirium patients who had the same surgeon and adjacent surgical order were selected at a 1 : 4 ratio to form the non-delirium group. Univariate analysis was performed on the clinical data of the two groups. Factors with P<0.1 in the univariate analysis and those considered clinically significant were included in a multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the influencing factors of postoperative delirium. Stratified analysis was conducted based on thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and endovascular abdominal aortic repair (EVAR). Results A total of 213 patients were included, comprising 46 in the delirium group and 167 in the non-delirium group. The overall mean age was (60.3±12.0) years, and 183 (85.9%) were male. Univariate analysis showed that emergency admission, preoperative neutrophil percentage, lymphocyte percentage, operative duration, intubation time, and ICU stay might be associated with postoperative delirium. Multivariate analysis revealed that longer operative and intubation times were associated with a higher likelihood of delirium. In the stratified analysis, the results for the TEVAR group were consistent with the overall findings, whereas no significant differences were observed in the EVAR group. Conclusion Longer operative and intubation times are associated with a higher risk of delirium in patients undergoing TEVAR, while no significant association was found in patients undergoing EVAR.