A method for descending thoracic aortic replacement retaining a posterior strip bearing intercostal vessels

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 75; no. 5; pp. 1660 - 1661
• Main Authors: Halstead, James C, Baghai, Max, Lim, Eric, Dunning, John J, Large, Stephen R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-05-2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aorta, Thoracic - surgery; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures - methods; Humans; Medical sciences; Spinal Cord - blood supply; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart; 26; Human; Nervous system diseases; Intercostal artery; Treatment efficiency; Aneurysm; Cardiovascular disease; Descending aorta; Arterial disease; Vascular disease; Thoracic aorta; Prevention; Conservative surgery; Treatment; Surgery; Central nervous system disease; Complication; Technique; Vein; Spinal cord disease; Aortic disease
• ISSN: 0003-4975; 1552-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/S0003-4975(02)04661-1

Operations for aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta are still fraught with danger. Spinal cord injury remains a major cause of morbidity. Many therapeutic strategies have been suggested to reduce the incidence of this devastating complication, including reimplantation of intercostal vessels. However, reimplantation of intercostal vessels, both individually or in groups, is time consuming and compounded by the absence of a reliable means of identifying which vessels actually supply the cord. We present a technique that allowed inclusion of all potentially important descending aortic branching vessels into the repair leading to a favorable outcome in a series of patients.