Background-Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) represents a therapeutic concept for type B aortic dissection.Long-term outcomes and morphology after TEVAR for uncomplicated dissection are unknown. Methods and Results-A total of 140 patients with stable type B aortic dissection previously randomized to optimal medical treatment and TEVAR (n=72) versus optimal medical treatment alone (n=68) were analyzed retrospectively for aortaspecific, all-cause outcomes, and disease progression using landmark statistical analysis of years 2 to 5 after index procedure. Cox regression was used to compare outcomes between groups; all analyses are based on intention to treat. From the University of Rostock, Heart Center and Institute for Biostatistics, Rostock, Germany (C.A.N., S.K., T.C.R., G.K., A.G., T.K., H.I.); CCB Heart Center Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany (H.E.); University Heart Center Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (D.S.); German Heart Institute Berlin, Berlin, Germany (B.Z.); the Centre Hospitalière Universitaire, Hôpital de Rangueil, Toulouse, France (H.R.); the Universitá St. Orsola Malpighi, Bologna, Italy (R.F.); the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Berne, Berne, Switzerland (M.C.); and Bordeaux Heart University Hospital, Bordeaux, France (L.L.).All members of the Investigation of Stent grafts in Aortic Dissection with extended length of follow-up (INSTEAD-XL) study group are listed in the Appendix in the online-only Data Supplement.The online-only Data Supplement is available at http://circinterventions.ahajournals.org/lookup/suppl

HAR in zone 1 and 2 appears a viable alternative to conventional aortic arch surgery in patients with complicated type B dissection. Stroke and endoleaks remain complications that need to be addressed. Treatment of type B aortic dissection with complete supra-aortic debranching and thoracic endovascular aortic repair in zone 0, however, is associated with high mortality, which might be reduced by improved technology using branched stent grafts.

The aim of this work was to investigate white-matter microstructural changes within and outside the corticospinal tract in classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in lower motor neuron (LMN) ALS variants by means of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We investigated 22 ALS patients and 21 age-matched controls utilizing a whole-brain approach with a 1.5-T scanner for DTI. The patient group was comprised of 15 classical ALS- and seven LMN ALS-variant patients (progressive muscular atrophy, flail arm and flail leg syndrome). Disease severity was measured by the revised version of the functional rating scale. White matter fractional anisotropy (FA) was assessed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and a region of interest (ROI) approach. We found significant FA reductions in motor and extra-motor cerebral fiber tracts in classical ALS and in the LMN ALS-variant patients compared to controls. The voxel-based TBSS results were confirmed by the ROI findings. The white matter damage correlated with the disease severity in the patient group and was found in a similar distribution, but to a lesser extent, among the LMN ALS-variant subgroup. ALS and LMN ALS variants are multisystem degenerations. DTI shows the potential to determine an earlier diagnosis, particularly in LMN ALS variants. The statistically identical findings of white matter lesions in classical ALS and LMN variants as ascertained by DTI further underline that these variants should be regarded as part of the ALS spectrum.