Type A Aortic Dissection After Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

BACKGROUND: Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is a rare complication associated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Although TAAD can result in catastrophic outcomes, the pathology of the condition has not been thoroughly clarified yet.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed details from the medical records of 546 patients with diseases of the thoracic aorta (thoracic aortic aneurysm, n = 362; aortic dissection, n = 178; and fistula between the descending thoracic aorta and esophagus, n = 6) who underwent TEVAR in five hospitals from May 1997 through February 2015 to identify patients in whom TAAD developed during or after TEVAR.

RESULTS: TEVAR-associated TAAD developed in 12 patients (2.2%). Pathologies originally treated with TEVAR were aortic dissection in 10 patients (83%) and true thoracic aortic aneurysm in 2 (17%). Type A aortic dissection developed during hospitalization in 4 patients (33%), within 1 year in 5 (42%), and more than 1 year later in 3 (25%). The entry tear was located in the ascending aorta or the aortic arch away from the edges of stent grafts in 8 patients (67%), whereas it was found just at the proximal edges of stent grafts in 4 patients (33%). Nine patients underwent ascending aortic replacement with or without concomitant aortic arch replacement, and 3 patients underwent medical management. Overall, 2 patients (17%) died during hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS: Type A aortic dissection can develop during TEVAR or even years after TEVAR. Careful operative procedures and follow-up should be mandatory for patients with aortic dissection as TAAD seems to occur more frequently among these patients.