Systematic review and meta-analysis of long-term reintervention following thoracic endovascular repair for blunt traumatic aortic injury

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the long-term reinterventions of thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) after blunt traumatic aortic injury.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were interrogated until June 2021. Inclusion criteria were blunt traumatic aortic injury treated with TEVAR and mean follow-up of more than 60 months. A systematic review was conducted and data were pooled using a random effects model of proportions applying the Freeman-Tukey transformation. Late reintervention was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were procedure-related complications (endoleak, in-stent thrombosis, occlusion, infolding/collapse, bird-beak, migration, and left arm claudication), overall and aortic-related mortality, and aortic diameter changes.

RESULTS

Eleven studies with a low quality assessment were included. Four hundred eight patients were collected and the 389 surviving more than 30 days were included. The mean follow-up was 8.2 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7-10.8; I² = 40.2%). Late reintervention was 2.1% (95% CI, 0.6-3.9; I² = 0.0%; 11/389 cases) with 0.1% (95% CI, 0.0-1.2; I² = 0.0%; 3/389) occurring after 5 years. Bird-beak was identified in 38.7% (95% CI, 16.4-63.6; I² = 86.6%). Left arm claudication occurring after 30 days was 3.1% (95% CI, 0.1-8.6; I² = 26.9%; 11/140 cases). In-stent thrombosis was 1.9% (95% CI, 0.1-5.2; I² = 51.8%; 11/389 cases). Endoleak was 0.5% (95% CI, 0.0-1.9; I² = 0.0%; 5/389 cases). Infolding, occlusion, and migration were reported in 2 of 389, 1 of 389, and 0 of 389 patients, respectively. Overall late survival was 95.6% (95% CI, 88.1-99.8; I² = 84.7%; 358/389 patients) and only one patient accounted for aortic related mortality. The increase in proximal and distal aortic diameters was estimated at 2.7 mm (95% CI, 1.2-4.3; I² = 0.0%) and 2.5 mm (95% CI, 1.1-3.9; I² = 0.0%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

TEVAR demonstrates remarkably good long-term results and reinterventions are rarely required. Aortic reinterventions tend to occur within the first and after the fifth year.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for traumatic aortic injuries: insight from literature and practical recommendations

INTRODUCTION

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for treatment of blunt traumatic aortic injuries (BTAIs) is nowadays the gold standard technique in adult patients, replacing gradually the use of open repair (OR). Although randomized controlled trials will never be performed comparing TEVAR to OR for BTAIs management, trauma and vascular societies guidelines today primarily recommend the former for BTAI patients with a suitable anatomy. The aim of this review was to describe past and recent data published in literature regarding pros and cons of TEVAR treatment in BTAI, and to analyze some debated issues and future perspectives.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) were used to obtain and describe selected articles on TEVAR in BTAI.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Young (<50 years) men were the most operated population. The use of TEVAR increased over the years, with a progressive reduction in mortality and overall postoperative complication rates when compared with OR. Lack of information remains about the percentage of urgent cases.

CONCLUSIONS

TEVAR is considered nowadays the treatment of choice in BTAI patients. In case of aortic rupture (grade IV) the treatment is mandatory, while intimal tear (grade I) and intramural hematoma (grade II) can be safely managed with no operative management (NOM). Debate is still ongoing on grade III (pseudoaneurysms). Unfortunately, several aspects remain not yet clarified, including disease classification, type and grade to treat, timing (urgent versus elective), priority of vascular injuries in polytrauma patients, and TEVAR use in pediatrics and young patients.

A case of paraplegia that developed 6 years after thoracic endovascular aortic repair for blunt traumatic aortic injury

Case

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is becoming the standard therapy for blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI). However, the long‐term outcomes of TEVAR for BTAI remain unclear. A 36‐year‐old man was admitted to our emergency department with dyspnea. He had been involved in a serious traffic accident 6 years earlier, requiring TEVAR for BTAI.

Outcome

Acute heart failure and pneumonia were diagnosed on this admission. His respiratory condition improved, but paraplegia developed 10 h after hospitalization. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intraspinal longitudinal area of signal hyperintensity, and spinal cord infarction was diagnosed.

Conclusion

Although the causal relationship between the TEVAR and spinal cord infarction remains unclear, paraplegia as a long‐term complication after TEVAR does not appear to have been reported previously, and so represents a potentially important complication.