Background: After proximal aortic surgery, total arch replacement (TAR) may again be needed because of recurrent dissection or aneurysm. This paper analyzed the relevant data of this technology with hopes of improving cognition and treatment.
Methods: There were a total of 60 eligible cases of secondary TAR after proximal aortic surgery in our center from 2010 to 2020. The primary surgical procedures included aortic valve replacement (AVR), ascending aortic replacement, Bentall, hemi-arch replacement, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 for Windows™ and presented as the mean ± standard deviations and direct frequencies, as appropriate.
Results: The interval between two operations was 44.8±53.6 months, 24 cases (40%) underwent emergency operation, the recurrence of type A dissection included 51 cases, accounting for 85% of the causes of total arch re-replacement. In the second surgical procedures, the ascending + TAR + stented elephant trunk (SET) implantation accounted for 75.0%. The overall surgical success rate was 98.3%. Postoperative respiratory complications were the most common, including infection, pneumothorax and hemothorax in 21 cases (35.6%). The second most common complication was acute kidney injury (AKI) in six cases (10.2%), and neurological complications took place in three cases (5.1%). The 30-day mortality rate was 15.3% and the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 96.0%, 84.0%, and 76.0%, respectively.
Conclusions: The recurrence of dissection is the main cause of TAR after proximal aortic surgery, followed by aneurysm and the resurgical criteria for aneurysm needs to be unified. In addition to TAR, SET also is widely used. Despite high early mortality, its long-term prognosis is acceptable.