" Watching without dealing" aortic root repair in the treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection: a prospective observational study / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effects of " watching without dealing" aortic root repair technique in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection(ATAAD).Methods:From October 2017 to October 2018, " watching without dealing" technique was performed in ATAAD patients with mild aortic root involvement. The proximal aortic anastomosis was at the level of the sinotubular junction, without " pursuing" complete excision of the intra-sinus dissections. The perioperative clinical data and follow-up imaging results of the patients were collected and analyzed to evaluate early and mid-term efficacy of the technique.Results:A total of 20 patients received " watching without dealing" technique in our hospital, including 15 males and 5 females with a mean age of(48.0±12.1) years old(34-73 years old). The preoperative aortic sinus diameter was(41.3±3.6)mm and the aortic sinotubular junction diameter was(43.9±6.6) mm. All patients underwent ascending aortic replacement and total arch replacement plus frozen elephant trunk surgery. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was(179.5±41.5)min(132~255 min), the cross-clamp time was(120.3±23.7) min(95~180 min), and the circulatory arrest time was(8.8±7.6) min(2~22 min). During perioperative period, no adverse events such as death, secondary opening, renal failure, cerebral infarction, and paraplegia occurred. The CTA examination of the aorta before the patients were discharged showed that all residual false lumen in the sinus disappeared, the diameter of the aortic sinus was(30.8±2.6) mm, and the diameter of the aortic sinotubular junction was(27.2±2.5) mm. The patients were followed up for mean(28.5±7.8) months(3~35 months). No surgical re-intervention of the aortic root occurred. The aortic CTA during follow-up period showed no residual or new dissection in the aortic sinus, the diameters of the aortic sinus and aortic sinotubular junction were(30.9±2.4) mm and(27.5±2.7) mm respectively; the ultrasonic cardiogram showed normal aortic valve structure and function. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing the aortic sinus diameter and aortic sinotubular junction diameter between two time points of at discharge and follow-up.Conclusion:The " watching without dealing" aortic root repair technique for ATAAD is relatively simple to learn and safe in the perioperative period. Early and mid-term follow-up imaging showed normalization of the aortic sinus structure. Further follow-up and observation were necessary to figure out the long-term clinical outcome of this modified aortic root repair.