Commentary: Making a difference: Pressure differential corrected during thoracoabdominal aortic repair

Abstract

In the modern era, open surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic disease has an estimated mortality of approximately 10%, and although patients with Marfan syndrome frequently have more complex, extensive pathologies, results are also good-to-excellent for this subset of patients, with mortality ranging from 0% to 7%.1 In this issue of JTCVS Techniques, Tully and colleagues2 from St Bartholomew's Hospital in London share an interesting case regarding the recognition and correction of pressure gradient at the proximal anastomosis in a patient with Marfan syndrome during thoracoabdominal repair of a chronic type B aortic dissection.