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.
The treatment of chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissection aneurysm remains a major challenge in aortic surgery. Open surgery is the mainstream treatment at present. New devices for endovascular treatment of chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissection are gradually applied in clinical practice. The hybrid procedure is a combination of open and endovascular procedures. The appropriate treatment should be selected according to the patient's age, anatomy, genetic aortic disease, and comorbidities.
The treatment of aortic dissection has already shifted to endovascular strategies. However, with the evolution of this disease and a deeper understanding of it, experts from various countries have developed a series of innovative endovascular techniques and devices in areas such as lumen reconstruction, false lumen embolization, entry sealing, and branch arteries reconstruction, targeting the long-term complication of chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The past few decades have seen that Chinese vascular surgeons have gradually emerged on the world stage and contributed multiple “Chinese solutions” for post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The author in this review intends to provide an overview of these techniques and devices mentioned above.
Surgical intervention for chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissecting aneurysms (cTAADA) is regarded as one of the most challenging procedures in the field of vascular surgery. For nearly six decades, open repair predominantly utilizing prosthetic grafts has been the treatment of choice for cTAADA. With advances in minimally invasive endovascular technologies, two novel surgical approaches have emerged: total endovascular stent-graft repair and hybrid procedures combining retrograde debranching of visceral arteries with endovascular stent-graft repair (abbreviated as hybrid procedure). Although total endovascular stent-graft repair offers reduced trauma and quicker recovery, limitations persist in clinical application due to hostile anatomical requirements of the aorta, high costs, and the lack of universally available stent-graft products. Hybrid repair, integrating the minimally invasive ethos of endovascular repair with visceral artery debranching techniques, has increasingly become a significant surgical modality for managing thoracoabdominal aneurysms, especially in cases unsuitable for open surgery or total endovascular treatment due to anatomical constraints such as aortic tortuosity or narrow true lumens in dissections. Recent enhancements in hybrid surgical approaches include ongoing optimization of visceral artery reconstruction strategies based on hemodynamic analyses, and exploration of the comparative benefits of staged versus concurrent surgical interventions.