Aim of the study was to validate the use of endoluminal stent-graft treatment as an alternative to conventional surgery in patients affected by blunt chest trauma and aortic disruption with multiple associated lesions. We report the case of a young female admitted with diagnosis of descending thoracic aortic transection and multiple traumas following a car accident. Spiral computed tomography revealed circular disruption of thoracic aorta immediately after isthmus region with intussusception of leaflets and pseudo-coartation. Doppler analysis showed a 70 mmHg transaortic gradient. The hemodynamic evaluation confirmed the existence of severe transaortic gradient. A Gore-TAG endoprosthesis (26 x 100 mm) was selected. Intraoper-ative transesophageal echocardiography assessment was performed to monitoring the entire procedure. The final arteriogram showed an optimal sealing at proximal and distal site without endoleak with complete readjustment of intimal leaflets to the aortic wall and disappearance of transaortic gradient related to the pseudo-coartation. No complication was observed in the early postoperative and patient was discharged one month later once complete rehabilitation of associated lesion was obtained. Computed tomography scan performed before discharge revealed persistency of patent lumen of aorta with fibrosis of readjusted circumferential intimal flap. In conclusion endovascular repair of complete aortic transection may result safe and effective particularly in patients with extensive associated injuries. Indeed the severity of coexisting non-aortic lesions could be adversely affected by conventional surgery in consideration of high surgical morbidity due to open thoracotomy. Stent-graft repair allows the patient to timely undergo medical or surgical management of associated lesions and a prompt rehabilitation with shorter hospital stay.

Background Stent grafting has been reported as a viable therapeutic option for the delayed treatment of traumatic rupture of the aortic isthmus as well as reconstruction of thoracic aortic dissections. We tested the hypothesis of whether immediate endovascular management offers clinical and pathological advantages over a delayed approach in patients with post-traumatic aortic pseudoaneurysms (PAPs) and Stanford type-B dissections (TBDs). Methods Thirty-one consecutive patients who were admitted with diagnosis of either PAP (n=10; 33.4±8.7 years) or TBD (n=21; 58.2±8.4 years) were respectively divided into 2 groups according to the timing of diagnosis and endovascular treatment after the traumatic or pathologic event: immediate ([lteq]2 weeks; PAP=6 and TBD=7) and delayed (>2 weeks; PAP=4 and TBD=14). Excluder®-Gore (11 in PAP and 8 in TBD) and Talent™-Medtronic (1 in PAP and 7 in TBD) endovascular stent grafts were deployed. Follow-up was performed at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year and based on laboratory tests; chest angio-computed tomography scans of chest, abdomen, and pelvis; and transesophageal echocardiography. Results The endovascular procedure proved uneventful in all PAP patients who underwent either immediate or delayed treatment. In 1 PAP patient with delayed treatment, surgical removal of the pseudoaneurysm was still necessary because of further compression of the airway stem. All immediately treated TBD patients were also successful. However, in 8 of 13 TBD patients with delayed treatment (61.5%), a stent graft deployment was not possible because of complicated progression of the false lumen and multiple intimal entry tears: 1 patient benefited by fenestrations of the false lumen and 7 patients underwent medical therapy. One patient (8.3%) died because of retrograde dissection involving the aortic arch. All patients treated with endovascular stent grafts were discharged within 5 days. Conclusions An immediate endovascular management of PAP and TBD patients offers important advantages such as avoidance of high-risk surgical procedures and postoperative complications with short hospital stay. Moreover, it has been observed that an immediate endovascular treatment allows a safe management of all patients with complete healing of the aortic wall and regression of the pseudoaneurysm in the PAP group and thrombosis of the false lumen in TBD patients.