Early and Long-term Outcome after Open Surgical Suprarenal Aortic Fenestration in Patients with Complicated Acute Type B Aortic Dissection

GUIDANCE ON AREA OF CREATED TEARS FOR AORTIC FENESTRATION TREATMENT BASED ON COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

Aortic fenestration (AF) uses puncture and a dilation balloon to create a tear in the intimal flap, which can directly relieve ischemia syndrome and reduce hypertension in the false lumen. The selection of a dilation balloon as well as the area of the created tear applied in reality depend on clinical experience, so we aim to provide a quantitative guidance and reference for doctors to better plan the treatment of aortic fenestration. In this study, the area of the created tear was virtually enlarged to at least 10 different values for four cases including one ideal case, and a computational fluid dynamic approach was applied to simulate blood flows in the aorta. The area ratio (AR) between the created tear and entry tear was introduced to express the enlargement of the created tear. The quantitative hemodynamic results indicate that the AR should be controlled to be larger than 7.0, but not too big to obtain the best treatment for acute aortic dissection (AD) case. Additionally, we assessed that AR might also be a risk factor for the prediction of dissection propagation.

In Situ Laser Stent Graft Fenestration of the Left Subclavian Artery during Thoracic Endovascular Repair of Type B Aortic Dissection with Limited Proximal Landing Zones: 5-Year Outcomes

PURPOSE

To assess safety and feasibility of in situ laser stent graft fenestration to revascularize the left subclavian artery (LSA) during thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) of type B aortic dissection (TBAD) with limited proximal landing zones with 5 years of follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a single-center retrospective study, 130 patients with TBAD with limited proximal landing zones (≤ 1.5 cm) underwent in situ laser stent graft fenestration revascularizing the LSA during TEVAR from April 2014 to April 2019. Outcomes were assessed by CT angiography and clinic visits, including technical success rate, operative time, LSA patency, ischemic events, and late aorta-related complications during follow-up.

RESULTS

Mean age of patients was 53 y (range, 33-73 y). Primary technical success rate was 96.9% (126/130). Three chimney stents were placed instead of fenestration, and 1 LSA fenestration was combined with a left common carotid artery (LCCA) chimney stent. Mean operative time was 53 min ± 28 with fluoroscopy time of 40 min ± 15. There were no neurologic complications and no deaths, with a mean duration of hospital stay of 9 d (range, 5-21 d). At a mean follow-up of 42 mo (range, 5-60 mo), there was a 97% primary LSA patency. Four patients had a type I endoleak, which disappeared during follow-up. One LCCA became occluded after 6 months. No type II or III endoleaks were found. Retrograde type A aortic dissection and stent graft-induced new distal entry were not found during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In situ laser fenestration to revascularize the LSA during TEVAR of TBAD with limited proximal landing zones was efficient, safe, and feasible based on 5-year follow-up.

Retrograde stenting of the superior mesenteric artery is the procedure of choice for dissection of the aorta with mesenteric compromise

Acute mesenteric ischemia secondary to aortic dissection in type A and type B is a true vascular surgical emergency. Presentation can be subtle or dramatic, and time to revascularization is limited before irreversible changes occur. The literature recognizes the catastrophic consequences of acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion and the need for urgent revascularization, often before central aortic repair in type A. There is no optimal revascularization technique described in this scenario. We present a case of type A aortic dissection with acute dynamic and static superior mesenteric artery occlusion and describe treatment that resulted in successful salvage of the bowel and the patient's life.

[Elimination of late endoleak after endovascular repair of a dissecting thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm]

Described herein is a clinical case report regarding treatment of a 70-year-old male patient presenting with a late complication following endoprosthetic repair for a Stanford type B dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm. The man was admitted to our hospital for persistent type IIb endoleak and an increased diameter of the aorta in its thoracic and thoracoabdominal portions. Two years previously, he had endured endoprosthetic repair of the thoracic aorta. The findings of computed tomography revealed negative dynamics manifesting as an increase in the diameter of the false channel of the arch and descending thoracic aorta with persistent type IIb endoleak. He was subjected to elimination of abdominal aortic dissection and type IIb endoleak with partial prosthetic repair of the descending thoracic portion of the aorta by means of prosthetic repair of the lower thoracic portion of the aorta between the stent graft and linear vascular Dacron prosthesis. The postoperative period was complicated by transient acute renal failure and paraparesis of the lower limbs. The patient was discharged on POD 14, with no endoleaks revealed on control computed tomography 3 months thereafter.

In Situ Laser Fenestration Is a Feasible Method for Revascularization of Aortic Arch During Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair

Background

Reconstruction of the aortic major branches during thoracic endovascular aortic repair is complicated because of the complex anatomic configuration and variation of the aortic arch. In situ laser fenestration has shown great potential for the revascularization of aortic branches. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of in situ laser fenestration on the three branches of the aortic arch during thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Methods and Results

Before clinical application, the polytetrafluoroethylene and Dacron grafts were fenestrated by an 810‐nm laser system ex vivo, which did not damage the bare metal portion of the endografts and created a clean fenestration while maintaining the integrity of the endografts. In vivo, 6 anesthetized female swine survived after this operation, including stent‐graft implantation in the aortic arches, laser fenestration, and conduit implantation through the innominate arteries and the left carotid arteries. Based on the animal experiments, in situ laser fenestration during thoracic endovascular aortic repair was successively performed on 24 patients (aged 33–86 years) with aortic artery diseases (dissection type A: n=4, type B: n=7, aneurysm: n=2, mural thrombus: n=7). Fenestration of 3 aortic branches was performed in 2 (8.3%) patients. Both the left carotid artery and the left subclavian artery were fenestrated in 6 (25%) patients. Only left subclavian artery fenestration surgery was done in 16 (66.7%) patients. Among these patients, 1 fenestration was abandoned secondary to an acute takeoff of the innominate artery in a type III aortic arch. The average operative time was 137±15 minutes. The technical success rate was 95.8% (n=23). No fenestration‐related complications or neurological morbidity occurred after this operation. During a mean postoperative 10‐month follow‐up (range: 2–17 months), 1 patient died of severe pneumonia, and all the left subclavian artery and carotid artery stents were patent with no fenestration‐related endoleaks upon computed tomography angiography images.

Conclusions

In situ laser fenestration is a feasible, effective, rapid, repeatable, and safe option for the reconstruction of aortic arch during thoracic endovascular aortic repair, which might be available to revascularize the 3 branches. However, follow‐up periods should be extended to evaluate the robustness of this technique.

Use of the Octopus Endograft Technique to Reconstruct Renovisceral Arteries Arising From the False Lumen of a Rapidly Expanding Type B Aortic Dissection After Endovascular Repair

Purpose: To describe the use and 6-month outcomes of the octopus endograft technique to reconstruct renovisceral arteries arising from the false lumen (FL) of a type B aortic dissection after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Case Report: A 46-year-old man post TEVAR for type B aortic dissection was admitted with persistent back pain and a rapidly expanding residual dissection. The celiac and left renal arteries arose from the FL and the superior mesenteric artery from both lumens, with the FL as its main supply. A 20% oversized Endurant stent-graft was deployed with the short limb just above the beginning of the dissection flap and the long limb in the aortic true lumen. A 120-mm-long Endurant extended limb was delivered antegradely via a conduit and deployed into the FL, with a 3-cm overlap with the short limb of the Endurant main body. The 3 renovisceral arteries were reconstructed by lining each with a series of Viabahn or Fluency stent-grafts whose proximal ends were subsequently placed parallel in the FL Endurant extended limb and dilated with kissing balloons. Imaging at 6 months showed an excluded FL, without stenosis or occlusion in the stent-graft or the renovisceral arteries. Conclusion: This case illustrates the successful use of the octopus endograft technique to reconstruct renovisceral arteries arising from a rapidly expanding FL in a post-TEVAR type B aortic dissection; the technique might be applicable in carefully selected patients.

An Important but Forgotten Technique: Aortic Fenestration

Aortic fenestration is a technique that treats organ ischemia in descending aortic dissection. Open surgical aortic fenestration is an effective yet uncommonly used and widely forgotten procedure. Here, we describe 2 patients suffering from chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissection, and we aimed to identify under what circumstances surgical aortic fenestration should be applied, to assess its safety and efficacy.