Open surgical repair of post-dissection thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms: early and late outcomes of a single-centre study involving over 200 patients

OBJECTIVES: Chronic, post-dissection thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) are increasingly being treated by (hybrid) endovascular means. Although it is less invasive, thoracic endovascular aortic repair is technically complex with the risk of incomplete aneurysm exclusion, necessitating frequent reinterventions with potentially reduced long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate contemporary early and late outcomes after open surgical repair of post-dissection TAAA. METHODS: At our centre, 633 patients underwent open repair for TAAA over a 20-year period (1994-2015), including 217 (34%) patients for post-dissection TAAA, who were included in this analysis. Circulatory support was obtained by either left heart bypass (173 patients, 79.7%), deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (41 patients, 18.9%) or simple aortic cross-clamping in 3 patients. We analysed all relevant perioperative and intraoperative variables with respect to adverse outcomes. Additionally, long-term survival and the need for aortic reinterventions were studied. RESULTS: The mean age was 60.2 ± 11.9 years (men 68.2%). We identified 66 Type I (30.4%), 113 Type II (52.1%), 25 Type III (11.5%), 10 Type IV (4.6%) and 3 Type V (1.4%) TAAAs. Early mortality and spinal cord deficit were 5.9% and 5.5%, respectively. Follow-up was 100% complete (mean 6.0 ± 5.8 years), with long-term survival of 71.4% at 10 years, and freedom from death and reoperation was 68.2% at 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is more invasive than current endovascular approaches for post-dissection TAAA, open surgical repair can be performed safely with acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality when it is done in a specialized aortic centre. Long-term survival and freedom from aortic reintervention are excellent and should also be taken into account when evaluating less invasive alternatives.