The experience of stent "elephant trunk" procedure in treatment of DeBakey I aortic dissection

Objective To investigate the procedures and outcomes of stent "elephant trunk" tech-nique in the treatment of DeBakey Ⅰ aortic dissection. Methods Twelve patients (mean 48. 1 years old) with DeBakey Ⅰ aortic dissection were included in our study. During deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), selected antegrade cerebral perfusion (SCP) was used to protect the brain. All patients received stent "elephant trunk" procedure (ascending aorta and arch replacement combined with transluminal stent graft of the descending aorta). Results One patient died after operation (8.3%). The average cardiopul-monary bypass time was (163.2±17.7) min. The average circulatory arrest time was (41.6 ± 12.3) min. Survival patients were followed up for 3 to 6 months and no subsequent death occurred during the fel-low-up period. Conclusion The stent "elephant trunk" procedure is a simple method with short circulato-ry arrest time. It seems to be effective and safe for DeBakey Ⅰ aortic dissection. Key words: Aortic dissection aneurysm;  Stent "elephant trunk" procedure