ObjectiveTo assess whether expanding the landing zone of frozen elephant trunk (FET) increases the risk of spinal cord injury in patients with acute type A aortic dissection. MethodsPatients with acute type A aortic dissection who were treated in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from 2017 to 2020 were collected. They were divided into two groups according to the landing zone of FET by the image diagnosis of postoperative chest X-ray or total aorta CT angiography, including a Th9 group which defined as below the eighth thoracic vertebral level, and a Th8 group which was defined as above or equal to the eighth thoracic vertebral level. Using the propensity score matching (PSM) method, the preoperative and intraoperative data of two groups were matched with a 1∶2 ratio. The prognosis of the two groups after PSM was analyzed. Results Before PSM, 573 patients were collected, including 58 patients in the Th9 group and 515 patients in the Th8 group. After PSM, 174 patients were collected, including 58 patients in the Th9 group (46 males and 12 females, with an average age of 47.91±9.92 years), and 116 patients in the Th8 group (93 males and 23 females, with an average age of 48.01±9.53 years). There were 8 patients of postoperative spinal cord injury in the two groups after PSM, including 5 (4.31%) patients in the Th8 group and 3 (5.17%) patients in the Th9 group (P=0.738). In the Th8 group, 2 patients had postoperative transient paresis and recovered spontaneously after symptomatic treatment, and 1 patient had postoperative paraplegia with cerebrospinal fluid drainage. After 3 days, the muscle strength of both lower limbs gradually recovered after treatment. There was no statistical difference in complications between the two groups (P＞0.05). ConclusionExpanding the landing zone of FET does not increase the risk of spinal cord injury in patients with acute type A aortic dissection. However, the sample size is limited, and in the future, multicenter large-scale sample size studies are still needed for verification
Objective To summarize the critical point of diagnosis and endovascular repairment (EVR) to thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), thoracic pseudoaneurysm (TPA) and aortic dissection (AD), by comparison the computerized tomography angiography (CTA) images before and after EVR to observe effects, so as to explore a unique index of imageology to assess the pathological development and evaluate therapeutically effect in dynamic and systemic reviews in pre, intra, postEVR and followup period. Methods Fortyeight patients involving aneurysm or dissection of thoracic aorta were treated with EVR based on the preoperative CTA imaging. Before and after the introducing of stentgraft, digital substation angiography (DSA) was taken place and sequential enhanced CTA was followed to evaluate the effects of the treatment. All imagings of CTA and DSA were collected and induced into e-FilmTM database to select key sections for analyses and measurement. Results Fortynine EVR were preformed and 54 stent grafts were implanted in 48 cases, with endothelial tears sealed in 42 cases of dissection, aneurismal cavities excluded in 2 cases of aortic aneurysm, and rupture site closed in 4 cases of pseudoaneurysm. Endoleakage happened in 9 cases, which were treated successfully by appropriate measures. One case suffered hemorrhage from introducing artery (iliac) which was controled by surgery, but he died of disseminated intravascular coagulation and then multiple organs failure. Fortyseven cases were followed up in 6-51 months with a satisfied clinical effect. Conclusion EVR is favorable in the effect of repairment to true, false and dissection of thoracic descending aorta. Chest pain and CTA scan is the key of early diagnosis of aortic dissection. Certain sections and leftanterior oblique viewing are the crucial profile for assessment and evaluation before and after operation.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of in vitro fenestration on reconstruction of left subclavian artery in endovascular treatment of aortic dissection.MethodsA total of 89 patients with aortic dissection involving left subclavian artery were treated by endovascular treatment in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from February 2017 to January 2020. There were 44 patients in the test group, including 36 males and 8 females, with an average age of 58.02±13.58 years. There were 45 patients in the control group, including 35 males and 10 females, with an average age of 54.10±12.32 years. The left subclavian artery was reconstructed by in vitro fenestration in the test group and by chimney technique in the control group. The clinical data were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe operation time of the test group was longer than that of the control group (126.16±7.53 min vs. 96.49±6.52 min, P<0.01). The median follow-up time was 31 (13-48) months. The incidence of endoleak in the test group (4.7%) was lower than that in the control group (18.6%, P=0.04) during the follow-up. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction, false lumen thrombosis, retrograde aortic dissection or left subclavian artery occlusion between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion In vitro fenestration for reconstructing left subclavian artery in thoracic endovascular aortic repair of aortic dissection is safe and feasible, which is worthy of further clinical promotion.
Abstract: Objective To explore the surgical procedures and cerebral protection and improve surgical results by summarizing the experiences of surgical treatment of 68 patients of De Bakey Ⅰ aortic dissection. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 68 patients (including 45 males and 23 females aged 29 to 72 years with an age of 44.5±17.2 years) with De Bakey Ⅰ aortic dissection who were treated in the General Hospital of Shenyang Command between May 2004 and April 2010. Acute aortic dissection (occurring within 2 weeks) was present in 57 patients and chronic aortic dissection in 11. The intimal tear was located in the ascending aorta in 45 patients, in the aortic arch in 12 and in the descending part of the aortic arch in 11. Thirtyfive patients underwent emergency operation and 33 underwent selected or limited operation. The operations were performed under hypothermic circulation arrest plus selective antegrade cerebral perfusion or right vena cave retrograde cerebral perfusion to protect the brain. Total arch replacement and stented elephant trunk were performed in 25 patients, Bentall operation with concomitant total arch replacement and stented elephant trunk in 16 patients, pure right semi aortic arch replacement and stented elephant trunk in 15 patients, total aortic arch replacement in 7 patients, right semi aortic arch replacement and stented elephant trunk in 3 patients, and Cabrol operation with concomitant aortic conduit with valve and total arch replacement and stented elephant trunk in 2 patients. Results Five patients (4 with acute aortic dissection and 1 with chronic aortic dissection) died with an operative mortality of 7.4%(5/68). The causes of death were anastomotic bleeding during surgery in 1 patient, postoperative low cardiac output syndrome and malignant arrhythmia in 2, acute renal failure in 1 and cerebral complications in 1. During perioperative period, psychotic symptoms occurred in 5 patients, pericardial effusion in 2 patients, hoarseness in 6 patients and poor wound healing in 1 patient. All of them were cured before dehospitalization. Sixty patients (95.2%, 60/63) were followed up for 2 months to 6 years with the other 3 patients lost. During the ollow-up, sudden death occurred to 1 patient with unknown reasons, and 1 patient had pericardial effusion and symptoms improved with relevant treatment. All the other patients followed up had a good quality of life with significant improvement of heart function. Fiftyfour patients had a heart function of New York Heart Association class Ⅰ and 5 had a function of class Ⅱ. Conclusion The surgical treatment for De Bakey Ⅰ aortic dissection should be active. The beneficial results can be obtained with best choice of operative procedures, methods of cerebral protection, and adequate treatment of complications of operation.
Abstract： Objective To evaluate the clinical safety and neurological outcomes of right axillary artery cannulation with a side graft compared with a direct approachin aortic arch replacement for patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Methods Between July 2008 and July 2010， 280 consecutive patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent right axillary artery cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass （CPB） in total arch replacement and stented “elephant trunk” implantation in our hospital.These 280 patients were divided into two groups according to the method of axillary artery cannulation in operation:direct arterial cannulation was used in 215 patients（direct arterial cannulationgroup， DG group， mean age of 43.1±9.5 years）， while cannulation with a side graft was used in 65 patients（ indirect cannulation group， IG group， mean age of 44.7±8.3 years）. Clinical characteristics of both groups were similar except their axillary artery cannulation method. Patient outcomes were compared as to the prevalence of clinical complications， especially neurological deficits and postoperative morbidity. Results The overall hospital mortality was 3.6% （10/280）， 3.3% （7/215） in DG group and 4.6% （3/65） in IG group respectively.Right axillary artery cannulation was successfully performed in all cases without any occurrence of malperfusion. Postoperatively， 25 patients（8.9%）developed temporaryneurological deficits， 19 cases in DG group（8.8%）， and 6 cases in IG group （9.2%）， and all these patients were cured after treatment. The incidence of postoperative complications directly related to axillary artery cannulation was significantly lower in IG group than that in DG group（1 case vs. 19 cases， P=0.045）. There were no statistical differences in arterial perfusion peak flow， peak pressure，antegrade cerebral perfusion time， deep hypothermic circulatory arrest time， and CPB time between the two groups（P ＞ 0.05）. Conclusion Right axillary artery cannulation with a side graftcan significantly reduce the postoperative complications of axillary artery cannulation. It is a safe and effective method for patients undergoing surgery for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection.
Abstract: Objective To evaluate surgical strategies for the treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with involvement of the aortic root. Methods From January 2005 to December 2010, 62 consecutive patients underwent emergency surgical intervention for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with involvement of the aortic root in Renji Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Shanghai Jiaotong University. According to different methods for the management of proximal aortic dissection, these patients were divided into 3 groups: group A, aortic valve commissural suspension＋supracommissural replacement of the ascending aorta （SCR）,including 28 patients （20 males and 8 females，mean age 45.2±15.6 years）; group B, partial sinus remodeling+ascending aortic replacement, including 10 patients （7 males and 3 females，mean age 44.6±14.9 years）；group C, Bentall procedure,including 24 patients （17 males and 7 females，mean age 46.2±15.6 years）. Clinical outcomes were compared among the three groups. Results Six patients died peri-operatively and in-hospital mortality was 9.67% （6/62）. Fifty-four patients were followed up, and the mean follow-up time was 27.3±15.7 months. During follow up, 2 patients died, one for lung cancer and the other for unknown reason. One patient in group A underwent CT scan 6 months after surgery which showed aortic root pseudo-aneurysm. Cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamping time of group C were significantly longer than those of group A and group B （274±97 min vs. 194±65 min, 210±77 min, t=22.482, 30.419, P=0.002， 0.122；150±56 min vs. 97±33 min, 105±46 min, t=12.630, 17.089, P=0.000，0.034）. There was no statistical difference in mortality （t=1.352，P=0.516）, incidence of postoperative reexploration for bleeding, acute renal failure and neurological complication （t=0.855, 0.342, 2.281; P=0.652, 0.863, 0.320） among the three groups. Conclusion For patients with acute aortic dissection involving the aortic root, aortic valve commissural suspension+SCR，partial sinus remodeling＋ascending aortic replacement and Bentall procedure may be considered the surgical treatment of choice with respective advantages and disadvantages. Satisfactory clinical outcomes can be achieveed if surgical indications and procedures are properly employed.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the validity of European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) Ⅱ for predicting in-hospital mortality and prolonged ICU stay after Sun's procedure (total aortic arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation) for Stanford type A aortic dissection (STAAD). MethodsClinical data of 384 STAAD patients undergoing Sun's procedure in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between February 2009 and February 2012 were retrospectively analyzed, including 228 (59.38%) patients with acute STAAD. Accoding to EuroSCORE Ⅱ to predict postoperative mortality, all the patients were divided into a low-risk group, a medium-risk group, a high-risk group and an extremely-high-risk group. There were 296 patients including 52 females in the low-risk group with their age of 45.39±10.75 years, 70 patients including 19 females in the medium-risk group with their age of 47.67±11.26 years, 13 patients including 5 females in the high-risk group with their age of 53.08±4.94 years, and 5 patients including 1 female patient in the extremely-high-risk group with their age of 41.60±11.08 years. All the patients received Sun's procedure under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion. EuroSCORE Ⅱ was used to predict postoperative mortality and prolonged ICU stay. ResultsIn-hospital mortality was 8.07% (31/384). Mean length of ICU stay was 3.06 days. Length of ICU stay of 42 patients was longer than 7 days. For low-risk group, the predicted mortality was lower than the actual mortality. For medium-risk, high-risk and extremely-high-risk groups, the predicted mortality was higher than the actual mortality. EuroSCORE Ⅱ showed unsatisfactory discriminatory ability to predict postoperative mortality and prolonged ICU stay. The area under ROC curve were 0.49 and 0.52 respectively. The calibration was also poor for predicting postoperative mortality and prolonged ICU stay (P<0.001). ConclusionsEuroSCORE Ⅱ is not satisfactory for predicting mortality and prolonged ICU stay after Sun's procedure for the treatment of STAAD. A new risk evaluating system specific for STAAD is needed.
ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) level and in-hospital prognosis in patients with acute type A aortic dissection within 24 hours of admission.MethodsFortysix patients diagnosed with type A aortic dissection were included in our hospital and their Lp-PLA2 levels within 24 hours of admission were measured between January 2017 and June 2019. According to their Lp-PLA2 levels within 24 hours of admission, 23 patients were classified into a high Lp-PLA2 group (Lp-PLA2 > 200 μg/L, 16 males and 7 females at age of 52.0±14.0 years) and 23 patients were into a low Lp-PLA2 group (Lp-PLA2 ≤200 μg/L, 15 males and 8 females at age of 53.0±11.0 years). The relationship between Lp-PLA2 level and clinical outcome was analyzed.ResultsThe incidences of bleeding, hospital infection, multiple organ dysfunction and mortality in the high Lp-PLA2 group were higher than those in the low Lp-PLA2 group (P<0.05). Seven (15.2%) patients died during 3 months of follow-up. The 3-month survival rate of patients with an increase of Lp-PLA2 was significantly lower than that of the patients with normal Lp-PLA2 (P<0.01), which was an independent predictor of adverse outcomes at 3 months of onset (P<0.01).ConclusionLp-PLA2 may be a predictor of disease progression in the patients with acute type A aortic dissection, and the patients with significantly elevated Lp-PLA2 have a higher 3-month mortality than the patients with normal Lp-PLA2.
Objective To investigate the relationship of cluster of differentiation 40L (CD40L) between inflammatory response mediated by vascular endothelial injury and Stanford A type aortic dissection (STAAD). Methods In this study from August 2016 to February 2017, a total of 215 blood samples from 95 STAAD patients (67 males and 28 females aged 48.33±12.19 years) and 120 healthy volunteers (94 males and 26 females aged 48.64±10.13 years) were collected. The patients with aortic dissection were taken blood 1 hour before the operation and the healthy volunteers were taken blood from the elbow vein. All STAAD patients were diagnozed by computed tomography angiography (CTA) and patients with Marfan syndrome were excluded. Blood samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for CD40L, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1), E-selectin, interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and so on. ResultsCompared with the healthy population, the level of SCD40L(26.87±5.50 ng/ml vs. 13.39±4.03 ng/ml, P<0.001) in the STAAD patients was significantly higher. E-Selectin (116.62±25.24 ng/ml vs. 77.05±14.30 ng/ml, P<0.001), VCAM-1 (P<0.001), TNF-α (55.35±9.12 ng/ml vs. 37.33±5.61 pg/ml, P<0.001), IL-1β (62.12±13.37 ng/ml vs. 48.68±9.86 pg/ml, P<0.001), IL-6 (499.54±90.45 ng/ml vs. 422.44±34.00 pg/ml, P<0.001) significantly increased. Conclusion The increased expression of SCD40L in STAAD patients and the inflammatory reaction induced by endothelial injury in aortic dissection patients are obvious.
Aortic dissection is a life-threatening cardiovascular disease with devastating complications and high mortality. It requires rapid and accurate diagnosis and a focus on prognosis. Many laboratory tests are routinely performed in patients with aortic dissection including D-dimer, brain natriuretic peptide, cardiac troponin I, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin. D-dimer shows vital performance in the diagnosis of aortic dissection, and brain natriuretic peptide, cardiac troponin I, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin exhibits important value in risk stratification and prognostic effect in aortic dissection patients. Our review summarized the clinical utility of these laboratory tests in patients with aortic dissection, aiming to provide advanced and comprehensive evidence for clinicians to better understand these laboratory tests and help their clinical practice.