Combined Retrograde Stent-Graft Placement and Surgical Repair for a Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection

Abstract

To report a case of retrograde acute Stanford type A aortic dissection treated without hypothermic circulatory arrest. A 55-year-old man presented with a retrograde acute type A aortic dissection with an entry tear 30 mm below the left subclavian artery. A concurrent emergent endovascular and surgical treatment was performed, excluding the entry tear with retrograde delivery of a stent-graft and replacing the ascending aorta with a Dacron tube without circulatory arrest. Avoiding hypothermic circulatory arrest was the main advantage of this hybrid therapeutic choice. This combined technique may be of interest in acute retrograde type A dissections that present complications such as impending rupture or visceral malperfusion. A close collaboration between endovascular specialists and cardiac surgeons is essential for such a hybrid strategy.