OBJECTIVES We compared the results of 2 groups of patients who underwent aortic arch replacement with the frozen elephant trunk technique. In the first group, the distal anastomosis was performed in arch zone 2; in the second control group, the distal anastomosis was performed in arch zone 3. METHODS Between January 2007 and April 2018, the frozen elephant trunk technique was used in 282 patients. The median age was 62 years (range 18–83 years), and 233 patients were men (82.6%). Two different frozen elephant trunk prostheses were used: the Jotec E-vita open prosthesis in 167 patients (59.2%) and the Vascutek Thoraflex hybrid prosthesis in 115 patients (40.8%). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the distal anastomosis site: zone 2 group (69 patients) and zone 3 group (213 patients). The main indications were chronic aortic dissection (n = 164, 58.2%), degenerative aneurysm (n = 72, 25.5%) and acute aortic dissections (n = 45, 16%). RESULTS The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 17%: 20% for the zone 2 group and 16% for the zone 3 group, without significant differences, also in terms of cardiopulmonary bypass and myocardial ischaemia times. However, the visceral ischaemia time was significantly shorter for the zone 2 group, whereas the antegrade selective cerebral perfusion time was significantly longer for the same group. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury rate was lower in the zone 2 group. The overall postoperative paraplegia rate was 3.5%, whereas the occurrence of permanent neurological dysfunction and dialysis was 9% and 19%, respectively, with no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS ‘Proximalization’ of the distal anastomosis can be used for arch reconstruction, especially in complex cases such as reoperations or acute aortic dissections. Furthermore, with the aid of branched hybrid grafts, a reduction of the visceral ischaemia time is achieved.

Stroke events are very common in acute type A aortic dissection. Cerebral malperfusion could manifest at presentation due to prolonged arch vessels hypoperfusion or develop after surgery for inadequate cerebral protection during arch repair. To reduce this detrimental complication there are several adjuncts that can be adopted for cerebral protection such as direct antegrade or retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) and use period of deep to moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest time; however, they are often insufficient as preoperative malperfusion already caused irreversible ischemic damages. The aim of the current review article is to analyze the principal series reporting on neurological injuries during type A aortic dissection to focus on the outcomes according to the type of surgical management and identify possible predictors to better manage this complication.

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The role of valve sparing operations in patients with the acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD), is still matter of debate. Many different factors should be evaluated on root management in AAAD including clinical status, aortic anatomy and expertise of the centre. In this review article we sought to analyse and report the experience and results of current available series on aortic valve and root repair in AAAD. Early and long-term data will be reported and discussed in terms of survival and aortic valve function.

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