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While much about the fundamental mechanisms behind the initiation and progression of Type B aortic dissection (TBAD) is still unknown, predictive models based on patient-specific fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations can help in risk stratification and optimal clinical decision-making. Aiming at the development of personalized treatment, FSI models can be leveraged to investigate the interplay between complex aortic flow patterns and anatomical features, while considering the deformation of the arterial wall and the dissection flap. In this study, the hemodynamics of false lumen thrombosis, a large fenestration, and the orbital orientation of the false lumen is studied through image-based FSI simulations on three TBAD patient-specific geometries. A new pipeline is developed leveraging the open-source software SimVascular and ParaView to analyze multiple patients simultaneously and to achieve large-scale parallelization in FSI results based on patients' computed tomography (CT) images. The results of this study suggest that the internal orbital orientation of the false lumen contributes to maintaining a positive luminal pressure difference Δ P T L - F L = P TL - P FL between the true lumen (TL) and the false lumen (FL), despite an impingement area in the false lumen near the entry tear. A positive and high luminal pressure difference is thought to promote TL expansion and FL compression. Moreover, it was also found that FL thrombosis at the entry tear region reduce the magnitude of the negative luminal pressure difference, which in turn may reduce FL expansion and the risk of unstable aortic growth. Finally, this FSI study suggests that the aortic wall and dissection flap stiffness determines the effects of a large fenestration in the descending thoracic aorta on the luminal pressure difference., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The human aorta undergoes complex morphologic changes that mirror the evolution of disease. Finite element analysis (FEA) enables the prediction of aortic pathologic states, but the absence of a biomechanical understanding hinders the applicability of this computational tool. We incorporate geometric information from computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging scans into FEA to predict a trajectory of future geometries for four aortic disease patients. Through defining a geometric correspondence between two patient scans separated in time, a patient-specific FEA model can recreate the deformation of the aorta between the two time points, showing that pathologic growth drives morphologic heterogeneity. FEA-derived trajectories in a shape-size geometric feature space, which plots the variance of the shape index versus the inverse square root of aortic surface area (δS vs. [Formula: see text] ), quantitatively demonstrate an increase in δS. This represents a deviation from physiologic shape changes and parallels the true geometric progression of aortic disease patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This article reviews the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for evaluating the aorta from anatomy and image acquisition to the diagnosis of aortic pathology, including aneurysms and dissection. Ruptured aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection are associated with high mortality and often experience a delay in time to diagnosis. Traditionally diagnosis was made through computed tomography which takes time and removes the patient from the emergency department. Incorporating POCUS into the evaluation of patients with suspected aortic pathology allows for rapid, accurate diagnosis and earlier definitive treatment., Competing Interests: Disclosure “The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Defense Health Agency, the Department of Defense, nor any agencies under the US Government.” The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening cardiovascular emergency that is often misdiagnosed as other chest pain conditions. Physiologically, AD may cause abnormalities in peripheral blood flow, which can be detected using pulse oximetry waveforms., Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of identifying AD based on pulse oximetry waveforms and to highlight the key waveform features that play a crucial role in this diagnostic method., Methods: This prospective study employed high-risk chest pain cohorts from two emergency departments. The initial cohort was enriched with AD patients (n = 258, 47% AD) for model development, while the second cohort consisted of chest pain patients awaiting angiography (n = 71, 25% AD) and was used for external validation. Pulse oximetry waveforms from the four extremities were collected for each patient. After data preprocessing, a recognition model based on the random forest algorithm was trained using patients' gender, age, and waveform difference features extracted from the pulse oximetry waveforms. The performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA). The importance of features was also assessed using Shapley Value and Gini importance., Results: The model demonstrated strong performance in identifying AD in both the training and external validation sets. In the training set, the model achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.961-0.990), sensitivity of 0.918 (95% CI: 0.873-0.955), specificity of 0.949 (95% CI: 0.912-0.985), and accuracy of 0.933 (95% CI: 0.904-0.959). In the external validation set, the model attained an area under the ROC curve of 0.855 (95% CI: 0.720-0.965), sensitivity of 0.889 (95% CI: 0.722-1.000), specificity of 0.698 (95% CI: 0.566-0.812), and accuracy of 0.794 (95% CI: 0.672-0.878). Decision curve analysis (DCA) further showed that the model provided a substantial net benefit for identifying AD. The median mean and median variance of the four limbs' signals were the most influential features in the recognition model., Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility and strong performance of identifying AD based on peripheral pulse oximetry waveforms in high-risk chest pain populations in the emergency setting. The findings also provided valuable insights for future human fluid dynamics simulations to elucidate the impact of AD on blood flow in greater detail., (© 2024 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Aim: To compare the features detected by high resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI) between posterior circulation atherosclerosis and intramural hematoma (IMH)-type dissection, and to identify indicators related to cerebral ischemic events., Materials and Methods: Clinical and HR-VWI data of 55 patients with posterior circulation IMH-type dissection and 132 patients with posterior circulation atherosclerosis collected between October 2017 and October 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Two radiologists independently extracted the imaging features. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with stroke., Results: Compared with patients with atherosclerosis, those with IMH-type dissection were younger, with a lower prevalence of diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia, lower hypertension grade, enhanced grade, remodeling index (RI), vertebrobasilar artery/brainstem ratio, and prevalence of nonsmooth surface, and higher prevalence of intraluminal thrombus (ILT), lumen (LA), wall area (WA), and total vessel area (TVA). In patients with stroke, those with IMH-type dissection were younger, with a lower prevalence of diabetes, and degree of hypertension, and higher RI, WA, TVA, and the prevalence of ILT. Multivariable logistic regression showed that RI (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; 95% CI, 0.17-0.77) and normalized wall index (NWI) (OR, 39.02; 95% CI, 2.19-695.35) were risk factors for stroke in patients with dissection, and LA (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.12-2.06) and NWI (OR, 60.84; 95% CI 3.70-998.06) were risk factors for atherosclerotic stroke., Conclusion: Patients with posterior circulation IMH-type dissection had greater potential for positive remodeling than those with atherosclerosis. The arterial remodeling capacity was closely related to stroke risk., (Copyright © 2024 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to report the clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of patients treated for IAAD with and without abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a single academic institution in South America., Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with IAAD with or without concomitant AAA between January 2002 and December 2023 from a single academic hospital was performed., Results: Eighteen patients with IAAD were diagnosed of whom 13 (72.2%) were males. Median age was 63 years (range: 43-88 years). Sixteen (88.8%) patients presented with symptoms, and in two (11.1%) asymptomatic patients IAAD was an incidental finding. Ten (55.5%) patients had concomitant abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), with a median size of the aneurysm of 49.5 mm (range: 44-66 mm). No statistical differences in baseline characteristics were seen between patients with concomitant IAAD and AAA and patients with only IAAD. Seven (38.8%) patients presented chronic dissection, and 11 (61.1%) patients had acute dissection. Five (27.7%) patients were treated conservatively with blood pressure, pain control, and antiplatelets; endovascular surgery was performed in eight (44.4%) patients and open surgery in five (27.7%) patients. The complication rate was 22.2% (n = 4), and the mortality rate was 0%. Median follow-up was 36 months (range: 6-240 months). Complete remodeling was seen in all patients except two patients who underwent conservative treatment. Of those, one had partial remodeling, and the other no changed., Conclusion: Isolated aortic dissection of the abdominal aorta is an uncommon condition, with acceptable different treatment strategies, from conservative to invasive treatments. Sometimes IAAD can concur with AAA, and when so, invasive treatment might be considered. More studies describing the natural history of AAA and its association with IAAD are warranted, as well as further research reporting long-term outcomes on aortic remodeling after different treatment modalities., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: To investigate the short-term/long-term impact of pulmonary artery intramural hematoma (PA-IMH) in patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) following surgical repair., Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients with ATAAD who received surgical repair at Beijing and Yunnan Fuwai Hospital in 2010-2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with hemorrhage extending along the PA were identified as the PA-IMH group. Multivariable logistics regression was used to obtain the odds ratio (OR), and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival rate., Results: Of the 2046 ATAAD patients, 324 (15.8%) patients were identified with PA-IMH, and 1722 (84.2%) were without PA-IMH. PA-IMH had a higher prevalence in patients with older age, female gender, aortic IMH, and type II aortic dissection. PA-IMH patients incurred excess early mortality compared with non-PA-IMH patients (9.3% vs. 5.6%, OR = 1.86, 95%CI 1.19-2.91, p = 0.006). The results were stable in the subgroup analysis, with an increased risk in older (> 70 years) or DeBakey type II ATAAD patients. Notably, an increase in the degree and extent of PA-IMH exacerbated the risk of early mortality. However, after landmark analysis at 30-day postsurgery, no significant difference was noted in the long-term outcomes between PA-IMH and non-PA-IMH groups (p = 0.440). The 5-year survival rates were 87.1% (95%CI: 83.3%, 91.1%) and 90.1% (95%CI: 88.5%, 91.7%), respectively., Conclusions: The presence of PA-IMH in ATAAD patients is common and is independently associated with increased early mortality after surgical repair, especially in those with older age (> 70) or type II dissection. However, such detrimental effects do not persist in the long-term follow-up among patients who survived hospital discharge., Clinical Relevance Statement: We confirmed that PA-IMH significantly increases early postoperative mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection, especially in older patients or DeBakey type II dissection. This should prompt further investigation of the incremental role of PA-IMH in this pathology., Key Points: Acute type A aortic dissection mortality gets worse when pulmonary artery intramural hematoma is present. Pulmonary artery-intramural hematoma increased the risk of early mortality but not affect long-term prognosis. Further research should investigate the effects of pulmonary artery intramural thrombus on aortic dissection., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Objectives: Residual dissection is a concern in endovascular treatment with a DCB, and there is limited knowledge of hemodynamics at a dissection lesion. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the mean pressure gradient (MPG) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) at a residual dissection after DCB angioplasty for the superficial femoral artery (SFA)., Methods: A total of 59 cases with residual SFA dissection treated with DCB angioplasty at a single center were analyzed retrospectively. The dissection was classified into 6 types (A-F). The primary endpoints were MPG and FFR at a residual dissection lesion after DCB angioplasty, using evaluation with a pressure wire., Results: The median lesion length was 70 (40-130) mm with 24% popliteal involvement, and 11 cases (18%) had chronic total occlusion. A completion angiogram revealed dissection of types A (n = 33, 56%), B (n = 18, 31%), C (n = 7, 12%), and D (n = 1, 2%). The median MPGs in type A, B, and C cases were 0 (0-2), 0 (0-4), and 3 (0-6) mmHg, with a significant lower in type C cases than in type A cases (A vs C, P = .021). The median FFRs in type A, B, and C cases of 1.0 (.98-1.00), 1.0 (.96-1.00), and .98 (.95-1.00) did not differ significantly among dissection types (A vs B, P = .86; A vs C, P = .055; B vs C, P = .15)., Conclusions: This is the first report of hemodynamics at a SFA dissection. The results suggest that low-grade dissection (types A or B) does not affect MPG and FFR at a SFA lesion. This indicates that a bailout stent may be unnecessary for patients with dissection of types A or B. A further investigation is needed to determine whether a scaffold is required for a SFA lesion with type C dissection., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) in elective settings has demonstrated successful clinical outcomes. However, life-threatening conditions such as rupture are more often managed with open surgical repair due to the high complexity of arch endovascular repair, lack of available off-the-shelf devices, and limited long-term data., Case Summary: A 49-year-old female with a recent history of prior ascending aortic repair for Type A 10 aortic dissection presented with chest pain and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography angiogram (CTA) revealed acute bilateral pulmonary emboli and a 6.2 cm post dissection aneurysm of the posterior aortic arch with the dissection extending to the right iliac artery. She was treated with thrombolysis and subsequently became hemodynamically unstable. Repeat CTA revealed a massive left hemithorax with concern for aortic arch rupture. Given significant cardiorespiratory compromise and recent open repair, she was considered unfit for redo open repair. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with a physician-modified endograft (PMEG) was planned. An Alpha Zenith endograft was modified adding an internal branch for the innominate artery and a fenestration for the left common carotid artery. The left subclavian artery was occluded with a microvascular plug and coil embolization up to the level of the vertebral artery. TEVAR PMEG extension to the celiac artery was performed followed by deployment of a Zenith dissection stent to the aortic bifurcation. Completion angiogram demonstrated successful aneurysm exclusion and patency of target vessels., Conclusion: Endovascular treatment of ruptured TAA with PMEGs is feasible. This approach may be an alternative for unfit patients for open repair in emergent settings., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: M.L.K. is a consultant for W. L. Gore & Associates. M.S.B. has received research support from Cook Medical Inc, W.L. Gore & Associates. C.H.T. has been a consultant for and received research support from Cook Medical Inc, W.L. Gore & Associates and Phillips Healthcare.

Endovascular stent grafting is becoming more common in treating complex thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. When it becomes necessary to cover the supra-aortic vessels, maintaining blood supply through the supra-aortic branches can be achieved by performing in situ needle fenestration. We present a case of a 65-year-old man with a type B aortic dissection that extended from the origin of the left subclavian artery. A stent graft was inserted into the thoracic aorta distally of the origin of the left common carotid artery. Due to the stent graft moving distally and not adequately sealing the subclavian artery, a second stent graft was placed more proximally. Both stent grafts were successfully in situ fenestrated using a needle, and a stent graft was inserted into the subclavian artery. In conclusion, during thoracic endovascular aortic repair, in situ needle fenestration can be successfully carried out on two overlapping thoracic stent grafts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms evolving within a type IIIb chronic aortic dissection are mostly treated with the deployment of an endograft. However, several cases of dissecting aneurysms are associated with a significant dilatation of the aortic arch. These cases are usually managed in 2 steps: arch reconstruction or supra-aortic trunk debranching at first and a secondary graft deployment for the descending thoracic aorta. We present through this case series an alternative approach for this severe condition which consists in the replacement of the thoracic aorta from its hemi-arch to the distal thoracic or visceral aorta using a left thoracotomy. We deliberately neglected the remaining dissecting aorta if its diameter was below 45 mm, hypothesizing its nonevolution after repair. From 2012 to 2021, 9 patients have been treated for a thoracic aneurysm evolving after a IIIb chronic aortic dissection using a left thoracotomy and a 19°C circulatory arrest. Immediate postoperative results show no mortality or neurological disorders, and the 7 years follow-up for all of these 9 cases enlightened the absence of aneurysmal evolution especially for the distal anastomosis and the remaining dissected aorta. This work suggests that this direct approach strategy can definitively treat a thoracic dissecting aneurysm unsuitable for a simple endovascular treatment., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Thoracic endovascular aortic surgery (TEVAR) is the modern standard of treatment for patients with Type B aortic dissection, however it is unclear how the initial length of treated aorta affects long-term outcomes. This study aims to elucidate risk factors for secondary intervention after TEVAR for aortic dissection, focusing on length of aortic treatment at index operation., Methods: A retrospective multihospital chart review was completed for patients treated between 2011 and 2022 who underwent TEVAR for aortic dissection with at least 1 year of post-TEVAR imaging and follow-up. Patient demographics and characteristics were analyzed. In this study, aortic zones treated only included those managed with a covered stent graft. The primary outcome measure was any need for secondary intervention., Results: A total of 151 patients were identified. Demographics included a mean age of 57 years, with 31.8% of the patients being female. Forty-three patients (28.5%) underwent secondary intervention after TEVAR, with a mean follow-up of 1.6 years. The most common indication for secondary intervention was aneurysmal degeneration of the residual false lumen (76%). There was a significant difference in the number of aortic zones treated in patients who did and did not require secondary intervention (2.3 ± 1 vs. 2.7 ± 1, P = 0.04). Additionally, patients with 3 or more aortic zones of treatment had a significant difference in the need for reintervention (32% secondary intervention versus 52% no secondary intervention, P = 0.02)., Conclusions: At least 3 zones of aortic treatment at index TEVAR is associated with a decreased need for overall reintervention. Modern treatment of acute and subacute type B dissection should stress an aggressive initial repair, balanced by the potential increased risk of spinal cord ischemia., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of urgency on early and midterm outcomes of the Candy-Plug (CP) technique for distal false lumen (FL) occlusion in thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aortic dissection., Methods: The CP registry was reviewed, and patients were categorized into elective and urgent/emergent groups for analysis. End points included technical success, clinical success, early (30-day) computed tomography angiography findings, early (30-day) mortality, adverse events, and aortic remodeling in patients with available computed tomography angiography follow-up and reintervention., Results: A total of 155 patients received a custom-made CP, of whom 32 patients (44% male, mean age 61 ± 9 years) were treated urgently and 123 patients (63% male, mean age 62 ± 11 years) electively. The primary CP rate was higher in the urgent group (28/32, 88%, in the urgent group vs 96/123, 78%, in the elective group, P = .051). The mean contrast volume was higher in the urgent group (157 ± 56 mL in the urgent group vs 130 ± 71 mL in the elective group, P = .017). Technical success was achieved in all patients in both groups. Clinical success was achieved in 25 of 32 (78%) patients in the urgent group vs 113 and 123 (92%) in the elective group (P = .159). The early mortality rate was 13% (4 of 32 patients) in the urgent group vs 1% (1 of 123 patients) in the elective group (P = .120). There was no statistically significant difference regarding the early adverse events between the urgent and elective CP groups. Early aortic-related reinterventions were required in 6 of 32 (19%) patients in the urgent group vs 6 of 123 (5%) in the elective group (P = .094). Thoracic aortic aneurysm sac regression was lower in the urgent group (5/28, 18%, in the urgent group vs 63/114, 55%, in the elective group, P = .001). Stable thoracic aortic aneurysm sac was higher in the urgent group (22/28, 79%, in the urgent group vs 47/114, 41%, in the elective group, P = .000). An increase in thoracic aortic aneurysm sac occurred in 1 of 28 (4%) patients in the urgent group vs 4 of 114 (4%) patients in the elective group (P = .096)., Conclusions: The urgent use of the CP technique for distal FL occlusion in aortic dissection was feasible and effective. The decrease in aortic FL sac diameter may be affected by the urgent use of CP due to limited sizing availability. However, it achieved a high rate of aortic remodeling., Competing Interests: Disclosures T.K. has intellectual property with Cook Medical; and receives royalties, research, travel and educational grant, speaking fees from and is a consultant and proctor for Cook Medical. S.H. is a consultant for Cook Medical, GE Healthcare, and Bentley. L.B. is a proctor and consultant for Cook Medical. S.T. is a consultant and speaker for WL Gore and Medtronic. T.L. is a proctor and consultant for Cook Canada. T.J. has travel grants, consultation fees, and proctorship fees from Cook Medical and Hammered (Polish representative of Cook Medical). J.S. is a speaker, proctor, and consultant for Cook Medical. N.T. is a proctor for Cook Medical and receives institutional grant from Cook Medical. G.P. is a proctor for Cook Medical. The remaining authors report no conflicts., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare and evaluate early and midterm outcomes of a novel no cross approach with short tip vs. standard tip introducer systems for all distal components to prevent target vessel bridging stent kink or collapse during fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR)., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all patients who underwent FEVAR at a tertiary referral centre between October 2016 and July 2022. The inclusion criterion was the use of renal artery fenestrations. Patients who had chronic dissections were included. Endpoints were analysed in two groups comprising the no cross group and the standard group, with all cases being consecutive in their respective groups. Cone beam computed tomography was used intra-operatively in all cases, and post-operative computed tomography angiograms and re-interventions were reviewed. Primary endpoints included technical success, intra-operative adjunctive procedures, adverse events related to the fenestration, and re-interventions, while secondary endpoints were secondary interventions and overall mortality rate., Results: Seventy patients (35 in each group) were enrolled in the study, with 64 (91%) having juxtarenal aneurysms. There were no differences in demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, or aneurysm characteristics between the two groups. The no cross group demonstrated a significantly higher technical success rate (100% in all cases) compared with the standard group (29 cases, 83%; p = .010). Additionally, there were statistically significantly fewer intra-operative adjunctive procedures required in the no cross group (1.5% of fenestrations) compared with the standard group (8.2% of fenestrations) (p = .013). The overall median follow up was 32 months (interquartile range 22, 62 months)., Conclusion: Implementation of a novel no cross concept during FEVAR, using a short dilator introducer tip on the distal bifurcated component and iliac extensions, significantly reduced intra-operative fenestration related adverse events and enhanced technical success. Further studies with larger patient populations and longer follow up are needed to confirm these findings., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: To investigate impact of frozen elephant trunk (FET) on long-term distal aortic remodeling in acute A aortic dissection (AAD) according to the latest recommended standards from the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS)/Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)., Methods: Clinical data and imaging of patients who underwent FET to treat acute AAD over the last 8 years were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if a pre and postoperative computed angio tomographies at least 30 days from surgery was available for comparison. Contrasted postprocessed imaging were analyzed with Aquarius iNtuition (TeraRecon Inc., Foster City, CA, USA) to analyze long-term positive aortic remodeling, false lumen thrombosis, and aortic expansion according to the SVS or STS recommendations. Secondary endpoints were the rate of in-hospital and long-term mortality, spinal cord ischemia (SCI), and aortic-related reinterventions., Results: Out of 75 patients who underwent FET for type A AAD, n = 41 (54.6%) were included. Significant positive aortic remodeling was reported in Ishimaru zone 1-4 but not in visceral or infrarenal aorta (P < 0.001), and the overall rate of false lumen thrombosis was 95.1% (n = 39). Aortic expansion rates were as follows: 4.9% in zones 1-4, 8.3% in zones 5-6, and 15% in zone 7. The rates of in-hospital mortality and long-term mortality were 7.3% (n = 3) and 9.7% (n = 4), respectively. At a median follow-up of 11 months (range 1-141, reintervention rate was 17.1%., Conclusions: We report positive aortic remodeling of the distal thoracic aorta in patients who underwent FET for acute AAD according to the SVS or STS reporting standards. The positive effect on the distal aorta is limited to the thoracic segments but not in the visceral aorta., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to determine the influences of varying severity of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) on the outcomes after thoracic endovascular aorta repair (TEVAR) in patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD)., Methods: This observational study focused on individuals with TBAD plus SAS who received TEVAR between January 2018 and December 2022. Patients were divided into groups according to the results of the portable sleep-breathing monitoring systems: mild SAS (MSAS) and moderate-to-severe SAS (MSSAS). Clinical profiles were collected and analyzed., Results: A total of 121 cases with TBAD plus SAS who underwent TEVAR were enrolled in this study. Two groups were formed by stratifying these cases: MSAS (74 cases) and MSSAS (47 cases). The MSSAS cases were found to be older relative to MSAS cases (51.7 ± 8.3 years vs 57.1 ± 12.8 years; P = .012) and had a higher body mass index (BMI; 25.7 ± 2.3 kg/m 2 vs 27.0 ± 2.3 kg/m 2 ; P = .038). The investigation did not find any appreciable differences between the MSAS and MSSAS groups in terms of complications (endoleak, P = .403; stent-induced new entry, P >.999; and stent displacement: P >.999). However, the MSSAS group exhibited a significantly higher overall mortality rate compared with the MSAS group (log-rank P = .027). The tendency continued when examining cases with Marfan syndrome combined with MSSAS, where the overall mortality rate was significantly greater compared with Marfan syndrome cases with MSAS (log-rank P = .037). The absence of a significant difference was noteworthy in the freedom from reintervention between the MSAS and MSSAS groups (log-rank P = .278). The overall mortality rate was significantly higher in MSSAS group even after adjusting for varying potential confounders in the multivariate cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.875; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.238-2.586; P = .012). A markedly higher rate of distal stent dilation in the MSSAS group was also observed compared with the MSAS group (HR, 2.5 mm/year [95% CI, 2-3 mm/year] vs HR, 4 mm/year [95% CI, 2.0-5.5 mm/year]; P = .029)., Conclusions: MSSAS is associated with a significantly higher risk of overall mortality and dilation rate of the distal stent after TEVAR for TBAD patients. Hence, aggressive efforts to reverse the severity of SAS in time in these individuals seem to be necessary., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the outcomes of totally percutaneous in situ microneedle puncture for left subclavian artery (LSA) fenestration (ISMF) and chimney technique in type B aortic dissection (TBAD) during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR)., Materials and Methods: Data on patients who underwent either chimney-TEVAR (n = 89) or ISMF-TEVAR (n = 113) from October 2018 to April 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The primary outcomes were mortality and major complications at 30 days and during follow-up., Results: The technical success rate was 84.3% in the chimney group and 93.8% in the ISMF group (p = 0.027). The incidence of immediate endoleakage was significantly higher in the chimney than ISMF group (15.7% vs 6.2%, respectively; p = 0.027). The 1- and 3-year survival rates in the chimney and ISMF groups were 98.9% ± 1.1% vs 98.1% ± 0.9% and 86.5% ± 6.3% vs 92.6% ± 4.1%, respectively (log-rank p = 0.715). The 3-year rate of cumulative freedom from branch occlusion in the chimney and ISMF group was 95.4% ± 2.3% vs 100%, respectively (log-rank p = 0.023)., Conclusion: Both ISMF-TEVAR and chimney-TEVAR achieved satisfactory short- and mid-term outcomes for the preservation of the LSA in patients with TBAD. ISMF-TEVAR appears to offer better clinical outcomes with higher patency and lower reintervention rates. However, ISMF-TEVAR had longer operation times with higher procedure expenses., Clinical Relevance Statement: When LSA revascularization is required during TEVAR, in situ, fenestration, and chimney techniques are all safe and effective methods; in situ, fenestration-TEVAR appears to offer better clinical outcomes, but takes longer and is more complicated., Key Points: LSA revascularization during TEVAR reduces post-operative complication rates. Both in situ ISMF-TEVAR and chimney-TEVAR are safe and effective techniques for the preservation of the LSA during TEVAR. The chimney technique is associated with a higher incidence of endoleakage and branch occlusion, but ISMF-TEVAR is a more complicated and expensive technique., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Background: The objective of this study was to determine whether thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) timing is more beneficial in the acute phase (first 14 days) than in the subacute phase (14-90 days) for the administration of acute Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD)., Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in databases (EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane Library) until December 2023 to identify studies reporting the results of TEVAR used for patients with acute TBAD. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated utilizing either the random-effects model or the fixed-effects model., Results: A total of 25 studies involving 4,827 individuals with TBAD (including 1,609 with subacute TBAD) met our selection criteria. Early results revealed a lower incidence of Ia endoleaks (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.33; P = 0.04) and aortic ruptures (OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 0.98-8.50; P = 0.05) in subacute TBAD. Apart from these findings, there was little difference in other incidents between the 2 groups. Regarding late outcomes, we observed significantly higher rates of retrograde dissection (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.04-4.34; P = 0.04), distal stent-induced new entry (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.24-4.61; P = 0.009), and reintervention (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.05-1.99; P = 0.02) in acute TBAD than in subacute TBAD, whereas no significant differences were found for other outcomes between the 2 groups. Also, TEVAR appeared to yield comparable results for false lumen thrombosis and true lumen regression in both groups., Conclusions: Subacute TBAD repair with TEVAR demonstrates a more effective reduction in adverse event rates compared to immediate treatment in the acute phase., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Endovascular repair of aortic dissections may be complicated by inadequate sealing zones, persistent false lumen perfusion, and limited space for catheter manipulation and target artery incorporation. The aim of this study was to describe the indications, technical success, and early outcomes of transcatheter electrosurgical septotomy (TES) during endovascular repair of aortic dissections., Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of consecutive patients treated by endovascular repair of aortic dissections with adjunctive TES in two centers between 2021 and 2023. End points were technical success, defined by successful septotomy without dislodgment of the lamella or target artery occlusion, and 30-day rates of major adverse events (MAEs)., Results: Among 197 patients treated by endovascular repair for aortic dissections, 36 patients (18%) (median age, 61.5 years (interquartile range, 55.0-72.5 years; 83% male) underwent adjunctive TES for acute (n = 3 [8%]), subacute (n = 1 [3%]), or chronic postdissection aneurysms (n = 32 [89%]). Indications for TES were severe true lumen (TL) compression (≤16 mm) in 28 patients (78%), target vessel origin from false lumen in 19 (53%), creation of suitable landing zone in 12 (33%), and organ/limb malperfusion in four (11%). Endovascular repair included fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in 18 patients (50%), thoracic EVAR/EVAR/PETTICOAT in 11 (31%), and arch branch repair in 7 (19%). All patients had dissections extending through zones 5 to 7, and 28 patients (78%) underwent TES across the renal-mesenteric segment. Technical success of TES was 92% (33/36) for all patients and 97% (32/33) among those with subacute or chronic postdissection aneurysms. There were three technical failures, including two patients with acute dissections with inadvertent superior mesenteric artery dissection in one patient and distal dislodgement of the dissection lamella in two patients. There were no arterial disruptions. The mean postseptotomy aortic lumen increased from 13.2 ± 4.8 mm to 28.4 ± 6.8 mm (P < .001). All 18 patients treated by fenestrated-branched EVAR had successful incorporation of 78 target arteries. There was one early death (3%) from stroke, and three patients (8%) had major adverse events. After a median follow-up of 8 months (interquartile range, 4.5-13.5 months), 13 patients (36%) had secondary interventions, and two (6%) died from non-aortic-related events. There were no other complications associated with TES., Conclusions: TES is an adjunctive technique that may optimize sealing zones and luminal aortic diameter during endovascular repair of subacute and chronic postdissection. Although no arterial disruptions or target vessel loss occurred, patients with acute dissections are prone to technical failures related to dislodgement of the lamella., Competing Interests: Disclosures C.H.T. and M.S.B. are consultants for and received research support from Cook Medical Inc., W. L. Gore & Associates, and Philips Medical Systems Netherland BV; G.S.O. has received consulting fees and/or grants from W. L. Gore & Associates, Centerline Biomedical, and GE Healthcare. G.S.O. has consulting and scientific advisory board agreement with Cook Medical Inc., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Non-A non-B (NANB) aortic dissections are uncommon and frequently unrecognized diseases. However, their proper identification is crucial given the unpredictable behavior of the dissected aorta with potential mortality and increased morbidity. We investigate the accuracy of radiological computed tomography angiography (CTA) reports in the diagnosis of acute NANB and the risk related to delayed recognition or misdiagnosis., Methods: The pretreatment contrast CTA of all consecutive patients admitted with acute aortic dissection (AAD) in a University Hospital in London (UK) between January 2017 and May 2023 were reviewed to retrospectively verify the accuracy of CTA reports in the diagnosis of NANB AAD (B1-2 D The risk related to the delayed diagnosis (morbidity, mortality, and hospital readmissions) were evaluated as secondary outcomes. The study was conducted according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines., Results: Overall, 588 aortic CTAs were reviewed for a total of n = 393 (66.8%) type A AADs, n = 171 (29%) type B AADs and n = 25 (4.3%) NANB AADs (n = 16, 64% men, mean age 60.56, standard deviation ± 14.6 years). While no case of misdiagnosis was identified in Type A or B AAD groups, in NANBs only about a third of cases (n = 9, 36%) were immediately indicated as "NANB" (n = 2, 8%) or "B with retrograde extension into the arch" (n = 7, 28%), n = 8 cases (32%) were described generically as "arch dissections" (n = 6, 24%) or "type A and B" AAD (n = 2, 8%). The remaining 32% of patients received a diagnosis that did not include mention of the arch, as n = 6 (24%) cases were reported to be "type A″ and n = 2 (8%) to be "type B″ AADs. Despite the heterogeneity of terms used to describe NANB AAD, no case of cardiac tamponade, new onset malperfusion nor neurological complications were reported, and no sudden death nor home-discharge and readmission while waiting for the proper diagnosis., Conclusions: The heterogeneity of terms used to describe NANB aortic dissection highlights the need for increased awareness, adoption of in guideline based classification systems, and further education to better understand and correctly address this challenging entity, minimizing misdiagnosis in ambiguous or difficult cases., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To present the value of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in diagnosis and treatment of complicated type B aortic dissection with malperfusion. Especially, the value of IVUS regarding the treatment strategy, reoperation rate, acute kidney injury, and false lumen thrombosis was investigated., Methods: Retrospective analysis of 25 type B aortic dissection cases with malperfusion treated with endovascular therapy from April 2019 to August 2022. In 17 cases, angiography and IVUS were applied during the operation (IVUS group), and in 8 cases, angiography was used without IVUS (control group) for final intraoperative control. IVUS was used to assess the true lumen collapse and to decide if additional bare stenting was necessary or not. Details from patients' charts and documentation from surgeries were analyzed. The endovascular technique included thoracic endovascular aortic repair with primary entry sealing and-if needed-bare stenting of the true lumen distal of the entry tears using the Provisional Extension To Induce Complete Attachment (PETTICOAT) technique., Results: All patients presented with pain localized mostly (48%) in thorax and abdomen. In all patients, the proximal entry tear of the dissection was covered using thoracic endovascular aortic repair. The PETTICOAT technique was applied in 13 cases (52%), whereas most combined procedures were applied in the IVUS group (12 compared to 1; P = 0.02). A total of 3 patients (1 in the control group, 12.5% and 2 in the IVUS group, 11.8%) underwent a bowel resection. Totally 8 patients (32%) underwent a reoperation in aorta (3 during the hospital stay). There were no statistical differences between IVUS and control group regarding the preoperative findings, the reoperation rates, and the postoperative complications. Five patients died (4 during the hospital stay); 1 in control and 4 in IVUS group; P = 0.53. The follow-up included a clinical and a computed tomography angiography examination. No statistically significant difference regarding occurrence and extension of false lumen thrombosis was observed between the 2 groups., Conclusions: The IVUS and control groups showed no difference in survival rates. The use of IVUS extended the indication for PETTICOAT technique with statistically significant difference. A milder form of acute kidney injury presented in the IVUS group compared to the control group. In addition, a stronger correlation between IVUS and the avoidance of an aorta reoperation was observed, although it did not reach statistical significance., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Adequate proximal and distal seal zones are necessary for successful thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Often, the achievement of an adequate distal seal zone requires celiac artery (CA) coverage by endograft with or without preservation of CA blood flow. The outcomes of CA coverage without its flow preservation were studied only in small case series. This study aims to determine the difference in outcomes between CA coverage with vs without preservation of CA blood flow during TEVAR using a multi-institutional national database., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative database was reviewed for all TEVAR patients distally landing in zone 6. The cohort was divided into TEVAR with vs without CA flow preservation. Demographic, clinical, and perioperative characteristics, as well as postoperative mortality, morbidities, and complications, were compared between the groups. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed., Results: Of 25,549 reviewed patients, 772 had a distal landing in Zone 6, 212 of which (27.5%) had TEVAR without CA flow preservation, whereas 560 (72.5%) underwent TEVAR with CA flow preservation. Indications for TEVAR were aneurysm in 431 (55.8%), dissection in 247 (32.0%), or other in 94 (12.2%) cases. Patients who underwent TEVAR without CA flow preservation had statistically significantly higher rates of 30-day mortality (11.3% vs 5.9%; P = .010), 30-day disease/treatment-related mortality (8.0% vs 4.3%; P = .039), as well as a tendency of increased intestinal ischemia requiring intervention (1.9% vs 0.5%; P = .077). After adjusting for potential confounders, CA coverage without flow preservation was associated with more than a two-fold increase in the overall 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR], 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-5.92; P = .006) and 30-day disease/treatment-related mortality (OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.11-6.72; P = .029). In a sub-group analysis based on disease pathology, these results persisted only in the aneurysm group (30-day mortality [OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.01-5.48; P = .047]; 30-day disease/treatment-related mortality [OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.08-7.67; P = .034]), whereas there was no significant association between CA flow preservation status and the endpoints in the dissection subgroup (30-day mortality [OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.22-6.05; P = .856], 30-day disease/treatment-related mortality [OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.16-5.19; P = .911])., Conclusions: CA coverage during TEVAR without preservation of its blood flow is associated with significantly higher mortality in patients with aortic aneurysm, but not dissection. In patients with aortic aneurysm, CA flow should be preserved during TEVAR whenever feasible, whereas in patients with dissection, it may be safe to cover CA without preservation of its flow. Prospective studies should be done to confirm these findings and compare the open vs endovascular revascularization techniques on outcomes., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fluoroquinolones (FQ), commonly prescribed antibiotics, may trigger aortic and carotid dissections. We report three successive cases of visceral artery dissection: one patient with celiac trunk dissection and two with dissection of the superior mesenteric artery. These events occurred up to 4 months after 7 to 14 days of FQ treatment (2 cases of ofloxacin, 1 of norfloxacin). There was no other apparent cause of dissection. These dissections were isolated, apart from a minimal aortic dissection separate from the visceral arterial dissection in one case. A case series cannot certify the relationship between dissection and FQ, but it can be hypothesized. The association between fluoroquinolone use and higher occurrence of aneurysm and dissection remains discussed in aortic syndrome. The potential link between FQ and visceral artery dissection is even less described but should be reported in the absence of previous cases in the literature. The pathophysiological theory is the induction of overexpression of some matrix metalloproteinases and a decrease of their inhibitors, provoking a dysregulation in collagen synthesis and degradation of the extracellular matrix., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

One of the most feared complications of percutaneous coronary interventions is coronary artery dissection. Rarely, such dissections can propagate into the ascending aorta, which may then require surgical intervention. We present the case of a 50-year-old patient with new-onset angina and two-vessel coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention on the right coronary artery, complicated by an iatrogenic coronary dissection extending into the ascending aorta. A decision was taken to perform emergent cardiac surgery due to ongoing chest pain and the extent of the dissection. Computed tomography after surgery revealed no signs of aortic dissection with normal dimensions in all aortic segments. The patient was discharged home in a stable condition., (This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In the segmentation of aortic dissection, there are issues such as low contrast between the aortic dissection and surrounding organs and vessels, significant differences in dissection morphology, and high background noise. To address these issues, this paper proposed a reinforcement learning-based method for type B aortic dissection localization. With the assistance of a two-stage segmentation model, the deep reinforcement learning was utilized to perform the first-stage aortic dissection localization task, ensuring the integrity of the localization target. In the second stage, the coarse segmentation results from the first stage were used as input to obtain refined segmentation results. To improve the recall rate of the first-stage segmentation results and include the segmentation target more completely in the localization results, this paper designed a reinforcement learning reward function based on the direction of recall changes. Additionally, the localization window was separated from the field of view window to reduce the occurrence of segmentation target loss. Unet, TransUnet, SwinUnet, and MT-Unet were selected as benchmark segmentation models. Through experiments, it was verified that the majority of the metrics in the two-stage segmentation process of this paper performed better than the benchmark results. Specifically, the Dice index improved by 1.34%, 0.89%, 27.66%, and 7.37% for each respective model. In conclusion, by incorporating the type B aortic dissection localization method proposed in this paper into the segmentation process, the overall segmentation accuracy is improved compared to the benchmark models. The improvement is particularly significant for models with poorer segmentation performance.

Background: Understanding the distinct anatomical differences between patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) and control patients (CPs) can enhance our knowledge of normal and pathological aortic dimensions. This study aimed to deepen our knowledge of these dimensions by measuring and comparing the anatomical indices of the aortic arch in male patients with TBAD and non-TBAD male patients., Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 62 TBAD patients (TBADPs) and 43 CPs were assessed. Using a fit centerline approach, we identified three pivotal anatomical landmarks: Point A, Point B, and Point C. These landmarks represented intersections of the aortic arch with the brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, and left subclavian artery, respectively. These points defined Zones 1, 2, and 3, which collectively span the entire proximal aorta from the proximal end of the aortic valve to Point C. Our analyses compared key anatomical indices such as diameter of the circumscribed circle (Dcirc), ellipticity, curvature, tortuosity between TBADP and CP at critical points and regions., Results: TBADPs showed a more circular cross-sectional shape at Points A, B and C, as indicated by reduced values of Dcirc&#95;A (P = 0.031), ellipticity&#95;A (P = 0.034) and ellipticity&#95;B (P = 0.048), together with a significant decrease in Dcirc&#95;C (P = 0.015) and ellipticity&#95;C (P = 0.007). The aortic arch in TBADPs showed enhanced tortuosity in Zone 1 (p = 0.002) and extended elongation in Zone 3 (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: The study found that the aortic arch in male TBAD patients is more circular near its primary branches, has greater tortuosity in Zone 1, and is longer in Zone 3 compared to male control patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This review focuses on time-critical cardiological conditions which are significant health challenges in the Western world. It covers conditions ranging from those manageable electively to those requiring immediate medical or surgical intervention, including acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism, acute heart failure, aortic dissection, and acute arrhythmias. The purpose is to provide an understanding of the characteristics of these conditions, their impact on patient prognosis, and current treatment strategies in critical situations., (Published under Open Access CC-BY-NC-BD 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Objectives: This study aims to retrospectively analyze the clinical features of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) based on Sun's modified classification, and to investigate whether the Sun's modified classification can be used to assess the risk of preoperative rupture., Methods: Clinical data was collected between January 2018 and June 2019. Data included patient demographics, history of disease, type of dissection according to the Sun's modified classification, time of onset, biochemical tests, and preoperative rupture., Results: A total of 387 patients with TAAAD who met the inclusion criteria of Sun's modified classification were included. There were more complex types, with 75, 151 and 140 patients in the type A1C, A2C and A3C groups, respectively. The age of the entire group of patients was 51.46 ± 12.65 years and 283 (73.1%) were male. The time from onset to the emergency room was 25.37 ± 30.78 h. There were a few cases of TAAAD combined with stroke, pericardial effusion, pleural effusion, and lower extremity and organ ischemia in the complex type group. The white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEC) and blood amylase differed significantly between the groups. Three independent risk factors for preoperative rupture were identified: neutrophil count, blood potassium ion level, and platelet count. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the Sun's modified classification could not be used to assess the risk of preoperative rupture in TAAAD., Conclusion: TAAAD was classified as the complex type in most patients. WBC, NEC and blood amylase were significantly different between the groups. NEC and serum potassium ion level were independent risk factors for preoperative rupture of TAAAD, while platelet count was its protective factor. More samples are needed to determine whether Sun's modified classification can be used to evaluate the risk of preoperative rupture., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate value of Nomogram prediction model based on CTA imaging features for selecting treatment methods for isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (ISMAD)., Methods: Symptomatic ISMAD patients were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set in a 7:3 ratio. In the training set, relevant risk factors for conservative treatment failure in ISMAD patients were analyzed, and a Nomogram prediction model for treatment outcome of ISMAD was constructed with risk factors. The predictive value of the model was evaluated., Results: Low true lumen residual ratio (TLRR), long dissection length, and large arterial angle (superior mesenteric artery [SMA]/abdominal aorta [AA]) were identified as independent high-risk factors for conservative treatment failure (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) results showed that the area under curve (AUC) of Nomogram prediction model was 0.826 (95% CI: 0.740-0.912), indicating good discrimination. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed good consistency between the predicted curve and the ideal curve of the Nomogram prediction model. The decision curve analysis (DCA) analysis results showed that when probability threshold for the occurrence of conservative treatment failure predicted was 0.05-0.98, patients could obtain more net benefits. Similar results were obtained for the predictive value in the validation set., Conclusion: Low TLRR, long dissection length, and large arterial angle (SMA/AA) are independent high-risk factors for conservative treatment failure in ISMAD. The Nomogram model constructed with independent high-risk factors has good clinical effectiveness in predicting the failure., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Recently in diagnosis of Aortic dissection (AD), the synthesis of contrast enhanced CT (CE-CT) images from non-contrast CT (NC-CT) images is an important topic. Existing methods have achieved some results but are unable to synthesize a continuous and clear intimal flap on NC-CT images. In this paper, we propose a multi-stage cascade generative adversarial network (MCGAN) to explicitly capture the features of the intimal flap for a better synthesis of aortic dissection images. For the intimal flap with variable shapes and more detailed features, we extract features in two ways: dense residual attention blocks (DRAB) are integrated to extract shallow features and UNet is employed to extract deep features; then deep features and shallow features are cascaded and fused. For incomplete flaps or lack of details, we use spatial attention and channel attention to extract key features and locations. At the same time, multi-scale fusion is used to ensure the continuity of the intimal flap. We perform the experiment on a set of 124 patients (62 with AD and 62 without AD). The evaluation results show that the synthesized images have the same characteristics as the real images and achieves better results than the popular methods., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We investigated the clinical and radiologic predictors of unruptured symptomatic intracranial artery dissection (IAD) outcomes. Unruptured symptomatic IAD patients who underwent vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) and time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) within 1 month after symptom onset, followed for over 12 months were included. Baseline features predicting the clinical outcome of recurrent symptoms and radiologic outcomes of aneurysmal dilatation and occlusion were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier method calculated the median time to morphological stability. Patients with aneurysmal dilatation were categorized into progressive and non-progressive enlargement subgroups. Seventy-three IADs from 65 patients were included. All patients showed benign clinical course (mRS 0-1). No baseline features were predictive of recurrent symptoms. Aneurysmal dilatation was associated with increased outer diameter in baseline VW-MRI (OR, 23.15; 95% CI, 3.78-141.75, P < 0.001) and TOF-MRA (OR, 10.81; 95% CI, 2.16-53.99, P = 0.004). Occlusion was inversely associated with preserved patency in baseline VW-MRI (OR, 0.1; 95% CI, 0.01-0.74, P = 0.024) and TOF-MRA (OR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02-0.98; P = 0.048). The median time to morphological stability was 3.9 months (95% CI, 3.16-5.5). While baseline features did not significantly differ between aneurysmal dilatation subgroups, follow-up imaging revealed significant differences in remodeling index, normalized wall index, relative signal intensity of intramural hematoma, and presence of onion-skin appearance and intramural hematoma (all P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that while unruptured IAD presents a benign clinical outcome, follow-up imaging may be necessary to monitor the progressive enlargement of aneurysmal dilatation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objective: The isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (ISMAD) is a rare but potentially fatal vascular disorder. Classifications for ISMAD were previously proposed based on morphometric features. However, the classification systems were not standardized and verified yet. This study conducted computational flow analysis to validate the latest classification system of ISMAD and aid clinical decision-making based on hemodynamic parameters., Methods: 62 patients with ISMAD were included and classified into different types according to false lumen structures (five types, Type I-V) and true lumen patency (two types, Type P and Type S) according to Qiu classification system. Computational fluid dynamics and three-dimensional structural analyses were conducted on the basis of computed tomography angiography datasets. Quantitative and qualitative functional analyses were performed via parameters of interest including volume flow of each minute, pressure drop, pressure gradient, the derivative parameters of wall shear stress such as time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and the relative residence time (RRT). Statistical analyses were conducted among different ISMAD types., Results: TAWSS, OSI and RRT showed significant difference among different types when classified using false lumen structures. In detail, Type IV showed significantly higher TAWSS than other types (p = 0.007). OSI was obviously higher in Type II (p = 0.015). Type IV also presented the lowest RRT (p = 0.005). The pressure drop, pressure gradient, OSI and RRT showed higher value in Type S than that in Type P, demonstrating a statistical significance with p values of 0.017, 0.041, 0.001 and 0.012, respectively. While Type P had larger volume flow than Type S (p = 0.041)., Conclusions: The notable differences in hemodynamic features among different types demonstrated the feasibility of Qiu classification system. The evaluation based on hemodynamic simulation might also provide insights into risk identification and guide therapeutic decisions for ISMAD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: The Provisional Extension to Induce Complete Attachment Technique (PETTICOAT) uses a bare-metal stent to scaffold the true lumen in patients with acute or subacute aortic dissections. While it is designed to facilitate remodeling, some patients with chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) require repair. This study describes the technical pitfalls of fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) in patients who underwent prior PETTICOAT repair., Technique: We report 3 patients with extent II TAAAs who had prior bare-metal dissection stents treated by FB-EVAR. Two patients required maneuvers to reroute the aortic guidewire, which was initially placed in-between stent struts. This was recognized before the deployment of the fenestrated-branched device. A third patient had difficult advancement of the celiac bridging stent due to a conflict of the tip of the stent delivery system into one of the stent struts, requiring to redo catheterization and pre-stenting with a balloon-expandable stent. There were no mortalities and target-related events after a follow-up of 12 to 27 months., Conclusion: FB-EVAR following the PETTICOAT is infrequent, but technical difficulties should be recognized to prevent complications from the inadvertent deployment of the fenestrated-branched stent-graft component in-between stent struts., Clinical Impact: The present study highlights a few maneuvers to prevent or overcome possible complications during endovascular repair of chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm following PETTICOAT. The main problem to be recognized is the placement of the aortic wire beyond one of the struts of the existing bare-metal stent. Moreover, encroachment of catheters or the bridging stent delivery system into the stent struts may potentially cause difficulties., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Since the optimal timing for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in the context of type B aortic dissections (TBAD) remains an open question, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to evaluate outcomes of TEVAR according to the phases of TBAD - hyperacute, acute, subacute and chronic. We carried out a pooled meta-analysis of time-to-event data extracted from studies published by June 2023 for the following outcomes: all-cause mortality, aortic-related mortality, and late aortic reinterventions. Thirteen studies met our eligibility criteria, comprising 4,793 patients (10.3 % hyperacute, 51.9 % acute, 25.9 % subacute, 11.9 % chronic). Considering the overall population, we observed a statistically significant difference between the groups (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and the main differences were found in the following comparisons: hyperacute versus acute (HR 1.61; 95 %CI 1.21-2.13; P = 0.001); hyperacute versus chronic (HR 1.70; 95 %CI 1.17-2.46; P = 0.005); subacute versus acute (HR 0.78; 95 %CI 0.63-0.98; P = 0.032). Considering the population with uncomplicated TBAD, we also observed a statistically significant difference for all-cause death between the groups (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and the main differences were found in the comparisons for subacute versus acute (HR 0.72; 95 %CI 0.58-0.88; P = 0.002). Furthermore, we observed statistically significant differences between the groups for aortic-related death (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and late aortic reintervention (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001), all favoring mostly the subacute phase as the optimal timing for TEVAR. In conclusion, there seems to be a timing-specific difference in the outcomes of TEVAR for TBAD pointing to the subacute phase as the optimal timing to achieve better long-term outcomes., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To report the long-term outcomes of patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and quick fenestrated (QF)-assisted in situ fenestration (ISF)., Methods: Between October 2017 and December 2018, 15 patients with TBAD requiring revascularization of the supra-aortic trunks underwent TEVAR with QF-assisted ISF at our institution., Results: Thirteen of the 15 patients were male, and the mean age was 52.87 ± 11.26. The technical success rate was 100%. Thirty-day mortality rate was 0. The median follow-up period was 41 months (range, 35-49). During follow-up, one non-aortic-related death was recorded, no fenestration lost its alignment, and no stroke or stent graft migration was observed. Two patients underwent another successful endovascular repair. One case of type Ib endoleak occurred 19 months postoperatively. This was caused by aortic progression distal to the stent graft. Another stent graft with a larger diameter was implanted in the descending aorta. One case of type Ic endoleak was observed 35 months postoperatively. The patient was diagnosed during the annual follow-up without any symptoms. Another bridging stent graft was implanted into the left subclavian artery distal to the already existing one, and the type Ic endoleak was successfully treated., Conclusions: TEVAR with QF-assisted ISF may be an effective treatment for ISF in type B aortic dissection., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: The Global Registry for Endovascular Aortic Treatment (GREAT) is an International prospective multicenter registry collecting real-world data on performance of Gore aortic endografts. The purpose was to analyze the long-term outcomes and patient survival rates, as well as device performance in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair for acute and chronic and complicated or uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD)., Methods: From August 2010 to October 2016, 5014 patients were enrolled in the GREAT registry. The study population were patients treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair for TBAD through 5-year follow-up (days 0-2006). The primary outcomes for this analysis were all-cause and aortic-related mortality, stroke, aortic rupture, endoleaks, migration, fracture, compression, and any reintervention through 5 years., Results: We identified 265 patients. The mean age was 60.9 ± 11.9 years (range, 19-84 years; 211 males [79.6%]). Devices used were the Gore TAG and Conformable Gore TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis. There were 228 patients (86.0%) who underwent primary endovascular treatment (144 off-label [54.3%]); 22 (8.3%) underwent reintervention after prior endovascular procedure and 15 (5.7%) underwent reintervention after prior open procedure. Kaplan-Meier estimated freedom from all-cause mortality at 5 years was 71.1%. Freedom from aortic-related mortality through 5 years was 95.8%. There was no significant difference in freedom from all-cause mortality during the follow-up period in complicated or uncomplicated disease. At 30 days and through 5 years, respectively, for all the following outcomes, the aortic rupture rate was 1.1% (n = 3) and 1.9% (n = 5). The stroke rate was 1.1% (n = 3) and 4.2% (n = 11). The spinal cord ischemic event rate was 1.5% (n = 4) and 2.6% (n = 7). Reinterventions were required in 6.4% (n = 17) and 21.1% (n = 56) of patients. The need for conversion to open repair was 0.4% (n = 1) and 2.6% (n = 7). Additional graft placement was required in 3 patients (1.1%) and 16 patients (6.0%). The endoleak rate at 30 days was 3.4% (n = 9); type IA (n = 1 [0.4%]), type IB (n = 4 [1.5%]), type II (n = 1 [0.4%]), type III (n = 1 [0.4%]), and unspecified (n = 4 [1.6%]). Through 5 years, the endoleak rate was 12.1% (n = 32); type IA (n = 7 [2.6%]), type IB (n = 10 [3.8%]), type II (n = 9 [3.4%]), type III (n = 2 [0.8%]), and unspecified (n = 12 [4.5%]). There were no cases of stent migration, compression or fracture through 5 years., Conclusions: Results at the 5-year follow-up demonstrate that the use of the Gore TAG and Conformable Gore TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis can be supported in treatment of TBAD (acute, chronic, complicated, and uncomplicated). These data demonstrate strong device durability, beneficial patient outcomes, and support for the treatment of thoracic aortic dissection with an endovascular approach. Complete 10-year follow-up in GREAT as planned will be advantageous., Competing Interests: Disclosures D.B. is a consultant and speaker for W. L. Gore & Associates. R.M. is a consultant and speaker Cydar, Endospan, Medtronic, Silk Road Medical, and W. L. Gore & Associates. A.A. is a consultant and speaker for W. L. Gore & Associates. S.T. is a consultant and speaker for and received research support from W. L. Gore & Associates, Medtronic, and Terumo Aortic. D.G. is a consultant and speaker for Medtronic, Silk Road Medical, Teleflex, Terumo Aortic, and W. L. Gore & Associates., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Spontaneous carotid artery dissections (sCADs) are the common cause of stroke in middle-aged and young people. There is still a lack of clinical classification to guide the management of sCAD. We reviewed our experience with 179 patients with sCAD and proposed a new classification for sCAD with prognostic and therapeutic significance., Methods: This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from June 2018 to June 2023 of patients with sCAD treated at a large tertiary academic institution in an urban city in China. Based on imaging results, we categorize sCAD into four types: type Ⅰ, intramural hematoma or dissection with <70% luminal narrowing; type Ⅱ, intramural hematoma or dissection with ≥70% luminal narrowing; type Ⅲ, dissecting aneurysm; type ⅣA, extracranial carotid artery occlusion; and type ⅣB, tandem occlusion. We compared the clinical data and prognostic outcomes among various types of sCADs., Results: A total of 179 patients and 197 dissected arteries met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the 179 patients with sCAD was 49.5 years, 78% were male, and 18 patients (10%) had bilateral sCAD. According to our classification, there were 56 type Ⅰ (28.4%), 50 type Ⅱ (25.4%), 60 type Ⅲ (30.5%), and 31 type Ⅳ (15.7%) dissections. During a mean hospitalization length of 11.4 ± 47.0 days, there were nine recurrent strokes (4.6%) after medical treatment, two type Ⅲ dissections (1.0%), seven type Ⅳ dissections (3.6%), all ipsilateral, and one death. Overall, there were seven (3.6%, 1 type Ⅰ dissection, 3 type Ⅱ dissections, 2 type Ⅲ dissections, and 1 type Ⅳ dissection) recurrent strokes and three (1.5%, all type Ⅲ dissections) recurrent transient ischemic attacks in patients treated with just medical therapy during the follow-up period, all ipsilateral, with a mean follow-up of 26 months (range, 3-59 months). These patients did not undergo further intervention due to the high difficulty associated with endovascular treatment (EVT) or the mild nature of recurrent cerebral ischemic symptoms. Twenty-nine type I dissections (51.8%) were completely recanalized after antithrombotic therapy. A total of 19 type II dissections (38%) and 44 type III dissections (73%) received EVT for persistent flow-limited dissections, enlargement of dissecting aneurysms, or aggravation of neurological symptoms despite antithrombotic therapy. Type Ⅳ dissections are more likely to lead to the occurrence of ischemic stroke and presented with more severe symptoms. Eight type IVB dissections (33%) received acute phase intervention due to distal thromboembolism or aggravation of neurological symptoms after medical treatment. In terms of cerebral ischemic events and mortality, there were no statistically significant differences among the four types of sCAD (all P > .05). Favorable outcome was achieved in 168 patients (93.9%)., Conclusions: This study proposed a novel and more comprehensive classification method and the modern management strategy for sCAD. Antithrombotic therapy is beneficial to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke for stable sCAD. Non-emergent EVT can be an alternative therapeutic approach for patients who meet indications as in type II to IVA dissections. Urgent procedure with neurovascular intervention is necessary for some type IVB dissections. The short-term results of EVT for sCAD are encouraging, and long-term device-related and functional outcomes should undergo further research., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Residual aortic dissection (AD) following DeBakey type I AD repair is associated with a high rate of adverse events that need additional intervention or surgery. This study aimed to identify clinical and early post-operative computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging factors associated with adverse events in patients with type I AD after ascending aorta replacement., Methods: This single centre, retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with type I AD who underwent ascending aorta replacement from January 2011 to December 2017 and post-operative CTA within three months. The primary outcome was AD related adverse events, defined as AD related death and re-operation due to aortic aneurysm or impending rupture. The location and size of the primary intimal tears, aortic diameter, and false lumen status were evaluated. Regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with AD related adverse events. A decision tree model was used to classify patients as high or low risk., Results: Of 103 participants (55.43 ± 13.94 years; 49.5% male), 24 (23.3%) experienced AD related adverse events. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, connective tissue disease (hazard ratio [HR] 15.33; p < .001), maximum aortic diameter ≥ 40 mm (HR 4.90; p < .001), and multiple (three or more) intimal tears (HR 7.12; p < .001) were associated with AD related adverse events. The three year cumulative survival free from AD related events was lower in the high risk group with aortic diameter ≥ 40 mm and multiple intimal tears (41.7% vs. 90.9%; p < .001)., Conclusion: Early post-operative CTA findings indicating a maximum aortic diameter ≥ 40 mm and multiple intimal tears may predict a higher risk of adverse events. These findings suggest the need for careful monitoring and more vigilant management approaches in these cases., (Copyright © 2024 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The treatment of chronic postdissection aneurysms of the aortic arch is a challenge. This study aims to describe false lumen management after aortic arch endovascular repair of post-type A dissection aneurysms treated with a branched endograft., Methods: In this single-center retrospective observational study, all consecutive patients undergoing endovascular treatment of aneurysmal degeneration of chronic type A aortic dissections following open repair were enrolled. The primary endpoint was maximal aortic diameter evolution measured on computed tomography angiography (CTA) performed during follow-up. Secondary endpoints included procedural success, aortic re intervention, and remodeling during follow-up., Results: Between January 2017 and June 2020, 22 patients underwent endovascular branched arch repair for post type A dissection aneurysms. Technical success was 100%. Thirteen patients (59%) had dissection involvement of at least 1 supra-aortic vessel. Midterm follow-up CTA was performed for 20 patients, 23.1 (±13.3) months after the procedure. Maximal aortic diameter at the level of the repair was decreasing in 13 (65%) patients, increasing in 2 (10%) patients, and no change was observed in 5 (25%) patients. During follow-up, 7 patients (35%) required aortic reintervention. Thoracic candy plugs were implanted for distal false lumen occlusion in 15 patients and associated with a high rate of complete remodeling (6/15 patients, 40%)., Conclusion: Arch branch endografting of aneurysmal evolution of a post type A dissection aortic arch is a safe and feasible option in experienced hands. Candy plug use in favorable anatomies seems to be associated with accelerated remodeling of the aorta., Clinical Impact: There are currently no recommendations on dissected supra- aortic vessels management and the use of thoracic aorta false lumen occlusion devices during endovascular repair of chronic post dissection aneurysm of the aortic arch with branched endografts. Based on our clinical experience reported in the current manuscript, we propose a treatment algorithm for the management of the false lumen in this setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: SH is a consultant for GE healthcare and Cook Medical.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the mid-term results corresponding to the entry site in patients who underwent pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD)., Methods: We included 27 patients who underwent pre-emptive TEVAR for uncomplicated TBAD between September 2014 and December 2019. We divided the patients into 2 groups depending on the proximal landing zone (zone 2 group, zone ≥3 group) and retrospectively analyzed the risk of all-cause and aorta-related mortality, aortic events (rupture, open conversion, and secondary intervention), and aortic enlargement (≥5 mm)., Results: The median age of the patients was 53 (47-65) years. The median duration from the onset of uncomplicated TBAD to TEVAR was 43 (30-99) days, and the median follow-up duration was 48 (36-57) months. The maximum preoperative diameter of the dissected aorta was 40 mm in the zone 2 group and 35 mm in the zone ≥3 group (p=0.134). There was no case of hospital death or spinal cord ischemia; however, there was 1 (3.7%) case of perioperative stroke in the zone 2 group. Multivariate analysis of the risk factors for aortic enlargement following pre-emptive TEVAR for uncomplicated TBAD revealed that only zone 2 landing was an independent risk factor. The estimated Kaplan-Meier curve showed a higher rate of aortic enlargement in the zone 2 group at 4 years after pre-emptive TEVAR (46.4% vs 0%, log-rank test; p=0.011)., Conclusions: In this study on TBAD, we found that zone 2 landing was associated with aortic enlargement after pre-emptive TEVAR. In cases where the distance from the left subclavian artery to a major entry point was short, there were more cases of aortic dilatation., Clinical Impact: The effectiveness of entry closure for type B aortic dissection was demonstrated in the INSTEAD XL trial. The cause of aortic enlargement after pre-emptive endovascular treatment for type B aortic dissection remains controversial. In the present study, zone 2 landing was a risk factor for aortic enlargement after pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B dissection. Patients with zone 2 landing should be closely followed up after pre-emptive TEVAR., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of oversizing in thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) on early and long-term survival and major adverse events in patients with uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD)., Methods: Between January 2010 and December 2018, 226 patients who were diagnosed with uncomplicated TBAD and received TEVAR were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into ≤5% oversizing (n=153) and >5% oversizing (n=73) groups. Primary end points were all-cause and aortic-related mortalities. Secondary end points were procedure-related complications, including retrograde type A aortic dissection (RTAD), endoleak, distal stent-induced new entry (SINE), and late reintervention. All-cause and aortic-related mortalities were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier survival method, while procedure-related complications were evaluated using a competing risk model with all-cause death as a competing risk., Results: Mean oversizing was 2.1%±1.5% in the ≤5% oversizing group and 9.6%±4.1% in the >5% oversizing group. Differences in the 30-day mortality and adverse events between the 2 groups were statistically insignificant. The freedom from all-cause mortality was comparable between the ≤5% oversizing group and the >5% oversizing group (≤5%: 93.3% at 5 years, >5%: 92.3% at 5 years, p=0.957). No significant difference was observed between both groups in the freedom from aortic-related mortality (≤5%: 95.0% at 5 years, >5%: 96.7% at 5 years, p=0.928). However, the competing risk analyses revealed that the cumulative incidence of RTAD was statistically significantly greater in the >5% oversizing group than in the ≤5% oversizing group (≤5%: 1(0.7%) at 5 years, >5%: 6(6.9%) at 5 years, p=0.007). All RTADs occurred within a year of TEVAR. The differences in the cumulative incidences of type I endoleak, distal SINE, and late reintervention were not significant between the 2 groups., Conclusion: The differences in the 5-year all-cause mortality and aortic-related mortality between patients with uncomplicated TBAD who received TEVAR with ≤5% oversizing and those who got TEVAR with >5% oversizing were insignificant. However, oversizing >5% was considerably associated with an increased risk of RTAD within a year of TEVAR, suggesting that oversizing ≤5% may be the appropriate size for TEVAR in patients with uncomplicated TBAD., Clinical Impact: For patients with uncomplicated TBAD, choosing oversizing ≤5% in endovascular treatment is beneficial to reduce the risk of postoperative retrograde type A aortic dissection. This finding provides a basis for stent size selection in endovascular repair. In addition, one year after TEVAR is the main time period for postoperative retrograde type A aortic dissection, and attention should be paid to the management and follow-up of this period., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: To assess the safety and efficacy of the combination of brachial artery (BA) cutdown with purse-string suture (PSS) for BA preclosure during fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair (f-TEVAR)., Methods: We reviewed the consecutive data in our center from January 2022 to May 2023. Clinical data were analyzed retrospectively, including the baseline characteristics, procedural details, complications, and outcomes. Dichotomous data were summarized as absolute values and percentages. Continuous variables were presented as median values and interquartile ranges (IQRs). All patients underwent arterial cutdown with the PSS technique for BA preclosure. The technique was considered successful when complete hemostasis was achieved and confirmed by ultrasonography 24 h postoperatively. The patients were followed up 30 days postoperatively for access-related complications., Results: Forty-eight patients who underwent f-TEVAR with 48 BA access sites were included [36 males and 12 females; median age: 62 (IQR: 30-78) years]. The median body mass index was 27.3 (IQR: 21.2-32.7) kg/m 2 . The median access establishing and closing times were 7.8 (IQR: 6-9.3) min and 3.7 (IQR: 2.5-5) min, respectively. The median operative time and length of stay were 75 (IQR: 63-87) min and 7 (IQR: 5-9) days, respectively. Although the success rate was 100%, partial numbness in the median nerve distribution was noted in 1 patient in the forearm. This resolved spontaneously and no permanent neurological problem was seen. No other access-related complications were noted, and the total complication rate was 2.1% (1/48)., Conclusions: BA preclosure with the PSS technique is safe and effective for left subclavian artery revascularization in Stanford B aortic dissection and can be another option for access closure during f-TEVAR., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a deep learning model for predicting distal aortic remodeling after proximal thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) using computed tomography angiography (CTA)., Methods: A total of 147 patients with acute or subacute TBAD who underwent proximal TEVAR at a single center were retrospectively reviewed. The boundary of aorta was manually segmented, and the point clouds of each aorta were obtained. Prediction of negative aortic remodeling or reintervention was accomplished by a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a point cloud neural network (PC-NN), respectively. The discriminatory value of the established models was mainly evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the test set., Results: The mean follow-up time was 34.0 months (range: 12-108 months). During follow-up, a total of 25 (17.0%) patients were identified as having negative aortic remodeling, and 16 (10.9%) patients received reintervention. The AUC (0.876) by PC-NN for predicting negative aortic remodeling was superior to that obtained by CNN (0.612, p=0.034) and similar to the AUC by PC-NN combined with clinical features (0.884, p=0.92). As to reintervention, the AUC by PC-NN was significantly higher than that by CNN (0.805 vs 0.579; p=0.042), and AUCs by PC-NN combined with clinical features and PC-NN alone were comparable (0.836 vs 0.805; p=0.81)., Conclusion: The CTA-based deep learning algorithms may assist clinicians in automated prediction of distal aortic remodeling after TEVAR for acute or subacute TBAD., Clinical Impact: Negative aortic remodeling is the leading cause of late reintervention after proximal thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD), and possesses great challenge to endovascular repair. Early recognizing high-risk patients is of supreme importance for optimizing the follow-up interval and therapy strategy. Currently, clinicians predict the prognosis of these patients based on several imaging signs, which is subjective. The computed tomography angiography-based deep learning algorithms may incorporate abundant morphological information of aorta, provide with a definite and objective output value, and finally assist clinicians in automated prediction of distal aortic remodeling after TEVAR for acute or subacute TBAD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Negative remodeling of the distal aorta due to residual dissection significantly impacts the long-term outcomes of dissection patients after proximal repair of acute aortic dissection. Branched/fenestrated aortic stents are technically demanding, and studies of the first generation of multilayer flow modulators for tackling this clinical scenario are few and limited. The single-center results from a multicenter, prospective, and randomized controlled study aimed to verify the safety and effectiveness of a newly-designed flowdynamics dense mesh stent for treating residual dissection after proximal repair., Methods: Patients with nonchronic residual dissection involving visceral branches were prospectively enrolled in 3 centers (ChiCTR1900023638). Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the flowdynamics dense mesh stent (FDMS) group and control group. Follow-up visits were arranged at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after recruitment. The primary endpoints were all-cause and aortic-related mortality. The secondary endpoints included visceral branch occlusion, reintervention, and severe adverse events. Morphological changes were analyzed to exhibit the therapeutic effect. Our center participated in the multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial, and the preliminary single-center experience was reported., Results: Thirty-six patients were enrolled in our center, and the baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were comparable. Thirty-four patients completed the 12 month follow-up. Freedom from all-cause and aortic-related death were 94.4% and 100%. All visceral branches remained patent in the FDMS group. Increased area of the true lumen (1.03±0.38 vs 0.48±0.63 cm 2 at the plane below renal arteries, p=0.006; 1.27±0.80 vs 0.32±0.50 cm 2 at the plane 5 cm below renal arteries, p<0.001) and decreased area of the false lumen at the plane below renal arteries (-1.03±0.84 vs -0.15±1.21 cm 2 , p=0.023) were observed in the FDMS group compared with those parameters in the control group. The FDMS group showed a significant increase in true lumen volume (p<0.001) and a significant decrease in false lumen volume (p=0.018)., Conclusions: This newly-designed FDMS for endovascular repair of residual dissection after the proximal repair is safe and effective at 12 months., Clinical Impact: One-year results of the randomized controlled clinical trial indicated the short-term safety and promising effect of FDMS on treating non-chronic residual dissection after proximal repair. At the 12th-month follow-up, the true lumen expanded, the false lumen shrunk and all visceral arteries kept patent. As far as I'm concerned, this is the first randomized controlled study concerning utilizing multilayer flow mesh stent treating aortic dissection. Despite a preliminary single-center report, our results are supposed to provide high-quality evidence to guide clinical practice and fill the gap in the application of FDMS., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study is supported by Shanghai Qigong Medical Technology Co., Ltd (Shanghai, China). All authors have nothing else to disclose regarding commercial support.

Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) represents optimal therapy for complicated acute type B aortic dissection (aTBAD). Persistent knowledge gaps remain, including the optimal length of aortic coverage, impact on distal aortic remodeling, and fate of the dissected abdominal aorta., Methods: Review of the Emory Aortic Database identified 92 patients who underwent TEVAR for complicated aTBAD from 2012 to 2018. Standard TEVAR covered aortic zones 3 and 4 (from the left subclavian to the mid-descending thoracic aorta). Extended TEVAR fully covered aortic zones 3 though 5 (from the left subclavian to the celiac artery). Long-term imaging, clinical follow-up, and overall and aortic-specific mortality were reviewed., Results: Extended TEVAR (n = 52) required a greater length of coverage vs standard TEVAR (n = 40) (240 ± 32 mm vs 183 ± 23 mm; P < .01). In-hospital mortality occurred in 5.4% of patients (7.7% vs 2.5%; P = .27) owing to mesenteric malperfusion (n = 3) or rupture (n = 2). The overall incidences of postoperative stroke, transient paraparesis, paraplegia, and dialysis were 5.4% (3.9% vs 7.5%; P = .38), 3.2% (5.8% vs 0%; P = .18), 0%, and 0% respectively, equivalent between groups. Follow-up was 96.6% complete to a mean of 6.1 years (interquartile range, 3.5-8.6 years). There were significantly higher rates of complete thrombosis or obliteration of the entire thoracic false lumen after Extended TEVAR (82.2% vs 51.5%; P = .04). Distal aortic reinterventions were less frequent after extended TEVAR (5.8% vs 20%; P = .04). Late aorta-specific survival was 98.1% after extended TEVAR vs 92.3% for standard TEVAR (P = .32)., Conclusions: Extended TEVAR for complicated aTBAD is safe, results in a high rate of total thoracic false lumen thrombosis/obliteration, and reduces distal reinterventions. Longer-term follow-up will be needed to demonstrate a survival benefit compared to limited aortic coverage., Competing Interests: Disclosures Y.M.D. is a consultant for Cook Medical. W.D.J. is a consultant for W. L. Gore & Associates, Medtronic, Cook Medical, and Endologix (consultant). B.G.L. is a consultant for Medtronic and Endospan., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)