Repair of coarctation with resection and extended end-to-end anastomosis

BACKGROUND: Our surgical strategy for infant coarctation changed from subclavian flap aortoplasty to resection with extended end-to-end anastomosis in 1991. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the results of that strategy. METHODS: From 1991 through 1997, 55 infants underwent repair of coarctation of the aorta using resection with extended end-to-end anastomosis. Isolated coarctation of the aorta was present in 26 patients, 20 patients had a ventricular septal defect, and 9 patients had other associated intracardiac lesions. Mean age at surgery was 0.20+/-0.24 years (median, 21 days). In 34 patients (62%), arch reconstruction was performed through a left thoracotomy. Twenty patients (36%) had median sternotomy with simultaneous repair of coarctation of the aorta and intracardiac repair of associated lesions. One patient had recoarctation repair through a median sternotomy. All coarctation and ductal tissue was resected and the anastomosis was constructed starting opposite the left carotid artery with running polypropylene suture. RESULTS: There was one early death 26 days after coarctation of the aorta and ventricular septal defect repair in a child on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for meconium aspiration and 2 late deaths owing to pneumonia and pulmonary hypertension (1) and interventricular hemorrhage (1). There were no instances of paraplegia. Follow-up in survivors ranges from 10 to 76 months (mean, 39.8+/-17.2 months). Recoarctation has developed in 2 patients, who have had successful balloon dilation 6 and 14 months after the operation. This yields a low recoarctation rate of 3.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Resection with extended end-to-end anastomosis yields a low mortality and particularly a low recoarctation rate and is our procedure of choice for infants with coarctation of the aorta.     

Surgery for coarctation of the aorta in infants younger than 3 months: end-to-end repair versus subclavian flap angioplasty: is either operation better?

OBJECTIVE: Recurrent coarctation is a complication which is seen at a consistent rate following all types of repair for coarctation of the aorta. Particularly disappointing late results are reported in younger infants, under 3 months of age. This retrospective analysis was undertaken to compare the outcomes on late follow-up between subclavian flap angioplasty and resection and end-to-end repair, in this age group. METHODS: Over a 12-year period, between 1982 and 1994, 86 infants under 3 months of age underwent surgical repair of coarctation (39 resections and end-to-end repair, and 47 subclavian flap angioplasty procedures). Operative mortality was not significantly different (P = 0.6) between resection and end-to-end repair (5.1%) and subclavian flap angioplasty (8.5%). All operative deaths (six patients) were in infants with associated ventricular septal defects. The mean follow-up for all patients was 7.95 years +/- 4.10 (range 0-14.5 years). The 5-year survival for resection and end-to-end repair was 87 +/- 5%, compared to 75 +/- 7% for subclavian flap angioplasty (P = 0.2). RESULTS: Recurrent coarctation occurred in nine patients who needed reoperation. The reoperation-free rates at both 5 and 10 years for resection and end-to-end anastomosis, and subclavian flap repair were 86 +/- 6% and 90 +/- 5%, respectively. The recurrence in the resection and end-to-end anastomosis group were due to constrictive scarring at the anastomosis, whereas periductal tissue and growth of posterior aortic ridge caused recurrence in the subclavian flap angioplasty group. There were no deaths during reoperation for recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Both procedures are extremely effective for coarctation repair in young infants and run a similar risk of recurrence, which are due to completely different mechanisms. The surgeon's expertise is the major determinant of outcome.     

Repair of coarctation of the aorta in adults: the fate of systolic hypertension

BACKGROUND: The benefit of coarctation repair in adults has been questioned by suggesting that hypertension may not be relieved by the operation and that surgical intervention may have no impact on the natural history of the disease. METHODS: To delineate the impact of surgical intervention on systolic hypertension, we conducted a retrospective review of 26 adults with a mean age of 32 +/- 10 years who underwent coarctation repair between 1987 and 1993. All patients were hypertensive (mean systolic blood pressure, 174 +/- 21 mm Hg; range, 140 to 220 mm Hg), and 18 patients (69%) were on a regimen of at least one hypertensive medication at the time of surgical admission. All patients underwent catheterization, and the mean peak systolic gradient across the coarctation was 61 +/- 25 mm Hg (range, 25 to 120 mm Hg). Operation included resection and end-to-end anastomosis (3 patients), resection with an interposition tube graft (6 patients), a bypass graft (11 patients), and patch angioplasty (6 patients). There was no hospital mortality or late morbidity. RESULTS: Intermediate follow-up was available at a mean of 2.3 +/- 2 years (range, 1 to 7 years). At last follow-up, the peak systolic gradient between the upper and lower body was trivial (< or = 10 mm Hg) in 23 patients (88%) and mild (11 to 20 mm Hg) in 3 (12%). All patients had significant improvement in systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001) compared to preoperative values, and the majority (23, 88%) were normotensive. More than half of the patients (14, 54%) were still on a regimen of antihypertensive medication at last follow-up, with a trend (p = 0.06) toward older patients requiring medication. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical repair of coarctation in adults is an effective, low-risk procedure, which results in a significant improvement in systolic hypertension and a decreased requirement of antihypertensive medications.     

The optimal time for surgical correction of coarctation of the arota (author's transl)

A survey of the literature on coren. Operative mortality was reduced from 39% (1960 through 1970) to 26% (1971 through 1978). It was higher in patients operated on during the first three months of life and in those with associated cardiac lesions. The incidence rate of restenosis has diminished from 27% to 4% by using the aortoplasty with a subclavian flap. Since the natural and the "innatural" history emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for patients with coarctation of the aorta, these recent results suggest that the optimal time for elective surgical correction is around the age of one year, and that the subclavian flap procedure is the technique of choice at this age.     

Follow-up after patch aortoplasty for coarctation of aorta

BACKGROUND: Patch aortoplasty (PA) for coarctation of aorta (COA) can lead to aneurysm formation at the repair site. X-ray, echocardiogram and computed tomography are unreliable for diagnosis of this complication. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prospectively patients with PA for COA by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect presence of aneurysm at the repair site. DESIGN: All patients who underwent PA at the authors' institution were identified. MRI was performed in transverse and long axis oblique views on all patients except those who had, or were going to have, aortic angiography for other reasons. Details of the surgical procedure were obtained from the hospital records. RESULTS: Of the 18 patients studied, 15 had MRI and three had aortic angiography. Age at PA ranged from one week to 13.3 years (mean 6.3 years). The interval from PA to MRI or angiography was 9.5 years (range four to 12.5). No aneurysm was detected in any patient. Recoarctation was diagnosed in two patients not previously suspected but discovered on MRI. At PA the intimal shelf causing coarctation was either not excised or only minimally trimmed in 14 of 15 instances. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of late aneurysm formation following PA for COA is low in the authors' patients, possibly due to minimal intimal damage at repair, although these patients should be followed longer. MRI was useful for assessment of aneurysm and restenosis.     

Vascular and neuroendocrine components in altered blood pressure regulation after surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential vascular and neuroendocrine determinants of altered blood pressure (BP) regulation in patients previously operated on for aortic coarctation. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: We prospectively re-evaluated 45 patients operated on for aortic coarctation at Strasbourg University Hospital over a 13-year period. Four of these patients were less than 2 years old at the time of the operation and four were older than 20 years. Patient age and time since the operation were on average 21+/-13 years and 8+/-3 years, respectively. Surgery consisted of a resection with end-to-end anastomosis for 18 patients, angioplasty (8), prosthesis (4) or sub-clavian flap (15). RESULTS: Despite repair of the coarctation, about 40% of the patients showed an abnormal BP status at rest. The majority of these patients had uncomplicated borderline hypertension. The orthostasis test as well as the BP circadian rhythm were frequently abnormal. While the ankle/arm systolic pressure index measured at rest was generally within the normal range, diminished carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was observed. Plasma adrenaline and aldosterone levels were elevated in about 50% of the patients examined. CONCLUSIONS: These new findings suggest that there are 'cause and effect' relationships between aortic structural and functional vascular abnormalities, and augmented plasma adrenaline and aldosterone in some patients after coarctation repair. These phenomena are likely to be involved in altered BP regulation and might result in recurrent hypertension.     

Late results of patch repair of coarctation of the aorta in adults using autogenous arterial wall

BACKGROUND: Interposition grafting or patch repair of adult coarctations of the aorta are the standard methods of surgical treatment. Both involve use of prosthetic material, and patch repair using prosthetic material may lead to aneurysm formation in the long term. METHODS: Four patients aged 17 to 29 years had been investigated for systemic hypertension and had coarctation of the aorta diagnosed on cardiac catheterization. Between March and November 1984, all 4 underwent a corrective operation. The lesions were widely incised and a broad patch of ipsilateral mammary or Abbott's artery was fashioned across the narrowing. The arteries had been enlarged in diameter because of prolonged exposure to high blood pressure as collateral vessels, although none was intrinsically diseased. RESULTS: After 12 years of follow-up, only 1 patient remains on antihypertensive therapy. Spiral computed tomographic reconstructions revealed only very mild residual stenosis in 1 patient, confirmed by subsequent aortography. CONCLUSIONS: In adult patients with coarctation of the aorta, the use of the enlarged internal mammary artery as a patch graft is a simple, quick procedure, which may give lasting relief of obstruction. Spiral computed tomographic scanning is an ideal noninvasive method of follow-up.     

Aortic coarctation and complex heart disease. Surgical treatment during the first year of life

During the five years 1990 through 1994, 70 neonates and infants had surgery for coarctation of the aorta. 30 patients with complex coarctation of the aorta underwent a first stage correction with supplementary ductus ligation and pulmonary artery banding as needed. The mode of surgical repair of coarctation was end-to-end anastomosis in ten patients and patch graft in 20 patient. Mean follow-up was 766 (range 3-1812) days. Mortality after primary procedure was 16.6% (5/30) and after secondary procedure 11.1% (2/18). Three surviving patient developed recoarctation, but only one patients needed re-operation. In spite of improvement in neonatal cardiac surgery, we conclude that a staged approach is still the current treatment in most cases of complex coarctation of the aorta.     

Coarctation of the aorta in children. Late results after surgery

From 1960 to 1970, 110 patients underwent operation for coarctation of the aorta. The overall mortality was 23%. However, in infants operated on at less than 6 months of age, the mortality was 63%, whereas there was only a 4% mortality in those operated on after 6 months of age. Late follow-up was available in 87 patients from five to 15 years postoperatively. There was a 14% frequency of recoarctation in the group of long-term survivors. Systemic hypertension, defined as an upper extremity blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg, was found in 23% of the survivors. This study has demonstrated a significant frequency of postcoarctectomy hypertension and residual hemodynamic and angiographic abnormalities in patients without clinical evidence of recoarctation. This indicates the need for continued long-term follow-up of these patients.     

Long-term results of the surgical treatment of acute type A thoracic aortic dissection

Out of a population of 110 patients operated as an emergency for acute Stanford type A dissection of the thoracic aorta between 1985 and 1994, there were 84 survivors. Seventy-nine were assessed after a mean follow-up period of 47.3 months. The corrected 1 year, 5 year and 10 year survival rates were 69 +/- 5.1%, 53.1 +/- 6% and 42.1 +/- 7.1% respectively. There were 19 deaths during the study period: in two thirds of cases death was due to cardiovascular complications related to the aortic pathology or hypertension. There were 13 reoperations in 12 patients for complications on the initial site of repair or for progression of the pathological process. The average time to reoperation was 21.5 months with an operative mortality of 3 patients (25%). Predictive factors of reoperation were young age (52 +/- 4.4 years vs 60.1 +/- 1.4 years; p = 0.037), the persistence of a patent false lumen (p = 0.033) and the initial surgical techniques as the incidence of reoperation seemed to be higher after treatment with biological glue alone or resuspension of the aortic valve compared with replacement of the ascending aorta or Bentall's procedure (p = 0.08). The incidence of reoperation also varies with time as it was 1.8 +/- 0.7% at 1 year, 18.5 +/- 6.5% at 5 years and 26% +/- 7.8 at 10 years. In spite of improvements in surgical technique and postoperative care, acute type A dissection of the aorta carries a poor prognosis in both the short and the long-term with a notable number of cardiac or other complications related to repair of the initial aorta. Analysis of these and other reported results suggest that initial surgery should be as complete as possible with extension to the aortic arch when involved: this more aggressive attitude should improve the long-term results by reducing the risk of reoperation responsible for a high mortality rate.     

Blood grouping problems

From 1965 to 1974, 53 children with coarctation of the aorta (COA) and an associated ventricular septal defect (VSD) underwent cardiac catheterization. Thirty-one patients presented with congestive heart failure. Twenty-five of 27 patients (92%) who underwent cardiac catheterization under age 3 months had either systemic hypertension, a systolic gradient across the coarctation greater than 20 mm Hg or both. Pulmonary hypertension was present in all 25 patients. COA repair was performed in 39 patients and there were seven deaths. Of the 32 survivors, 23 have no residual gradient; six are normotensive but have a mild residual gradient; three are hypertensive or have a gradient greater than 20 mm Hg. Repair of the VSD or pulmonary artery banding has been performed in 11 of 44 patients who survived infancy. Spontaneous closure of the VSD has occurred in three cases and 25 patients have a small VSD that does not warrant surgical repair. Surgical repair of COA during infancy may be unavoidable but conservative medical management of the associated VSD is often successful.     

Coarctation of the aorta in adults

Thirty-six patients, 19 men and 17 women, presented at age 18 or older between 1952 and 1974 with coarctation of the aorta. Of the 14 (39%) who had associated cardiovascular disease, 12 had aortic stenosis or insufficiency or both. Three patients had infections-two, endocarditis (aortic valve) and one, endarteritis. Three of the seven patients who did not undergo an operation are alive, two at more than 50 years of age. Five patients had myocardial infarctions, two at 35 years of age. Twenty-nine (80%) had operations; in eight instances the patient was over age 40. All 18 patients undergoing repair of isolated coarctation survived, while only 7 of the 11 patients with associated cardiovascular lesions who underwent repair recovered. Aortic valvular disease and myocardial infarction are serious complicating factors in coarctation of the aorta.     

Influence of birth weight on educational outcomes at age 9: the Miami site of the Infant Health and Development Program

BACKGROUND: The Quality of Surgical Care Project (QSCP) was established in May 1996, to evaluate surgical outcomes and where indicated, recommend changes to improve the quality of surgical care in Western Australia (WA). The purpose of this study is to establish benchmark standards in WA for operative mortality, 5-year survival and length of stay in all patients who were surgically treated for aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA) in WA. METHODS: The WA Linked Database was used to link the morbidity and mortality records of all patients admitted and surgically treated for AAA in WA from 1985 to 1994. The linked chains of de-identified hospital morbidity and death records were selected using diagnostic and procedure codes pertaining to AAA. Three groups were separated for analysis: those admitted for rupture, those admitted for elective repair, and those who were admitted to hospital as an emergency without mention of rupture but who underwent repair for AAA. Independent analysis for gender and patients 80 years or more were included in the study. Patients were excluded from the study if they were less than 55 years of age. RESULTS: A total of 1475 cases (1257 males, 218 females) were identified. The mean age in elective cases was 70.4 years in males and 72.4 years in females, and for rupture the mean ages were 71.9 and 74.8 years, respectively. Median length of stay for males was 12 days for elective cases. Admission type or age did not significantly influence length of stay. Thirty-day mortality in males was 4.4% for elective repair and 36.7% for ruptured AAA and 5-year survival was 71.7 and 47.7%, respectively. The overall case fatality rate for ruptured AAA was 79.3% which included those cases who died from rupture without being admitted to hospital. CONCLUSIONS: These community-wide data provide a realistic measure of surgical performance for open repair of AAA. The outcomes for elective and rupture repair for AAA compare favourably with standards reported by international centres of excellence. They also support the use of this procedure in patients over 80 years of age with rupture. This information can be used for ongoing audit purposes and as a benchmark for the introduction of new treatment modalities.     

The clamshell approach for the surgical treatment of complex cardiopulmonary pathology in infants and children

BACKGROUND: The surgical approach to children with complex cardiovascular and pulmonary anomalies is still controversial. Staged operations through multiple incisions are often performed in this setting. OBJECTIVE: The different applications and clinical advantages of a bilateral thoracosternotomy approach to complex cardiothoracic disease requiring surgical repair were reviewed retrospectively. METHODS: Between January 1993 and June 1995, 33 patients, aged between 2 months and 17 years (mean 7.8 +/- 5.3) underwent surgical treatment of complex cardiovascular or pulmonary disease using a clamshell approach. Twenty-one patients (64%) had undergone 1-5 previous surgical procedures (mean 2.5 +/- 1.0/patient). The technique involved supine position placement, submammary incision, access to the pleural space bilaterally through the fourth intercostal space and transverse division of the sternal body. RESULTS: Four groups of patients were operated on via this approach: (1) patients undergoing lobar, lung or heart-lung transplantation (40%); (2) patients undergoing repair of tetralogy of Fallot/pulmonary atresia (36%); (3) patients with previously corrected miscellaneous procedures (12%), including completion of Fontan, one-stage repair of left main bronchial stenosis and atrial septal defect, one-stage repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection and aortic coarctation, and repair of congenital pulmonary venous stenosis. There were two early (< 30 days) deaths, giving a perioperative mortality of 6% for the entire series. Complications included postoperative hemorrhage in 4 patients (12%), prolonged ventilation time due to mechanical failure in 4 (12%). There were no wound infections. Analysis of complications by group showed the lung transplant group to be more affected (18% of patients experienced complications). Except for 2 infants undergoing complete unifocalization and presently awaiting completion of repair of tetralogy of Fallot/pulmonary atresia, in the remaining 31 (94%) a definitive surgical treatment could be performed in one-stage. CONCLUSIONS: The bilateral thoracosternotomy allows optimal exposure of all intrathoracic anatomic structures making one-stage surgical repair possible in a variety of complex cardiovascular and pulmonary anomalies. Early mortality and technique-related morbidity do not differ from those reported with the conventional approaches to the different disease conditions. A wider application of the clamshell approach for the management of complex intrathoracic pathology in infants and children is advocated.     

Mesocaval interposition shunting in the treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices

OBJECTIVE: To assess the longterm results of mesocaval interposition shunt in the treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, Sweden. SUBJECTS: 60 patients with bleeding oesophageal varices in all Child's classes. 20 of whom were operated on as emergencies, and 40 as elective cases. INTERVENTIONS: A 14 mm polytetrafluoroethylene graft was used as an interposition shunt between the superior mesenteric vein and the vena cava. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rebleeding rate, portal blood flow, hepatic encephalopathy, morbidity, mortality, and survival. RESULTS: Rebleeding was rare and occurred mainly during the first 4 months after operation, (n = 5) in 10% of the patients, and at the 24 month follow-up, (n = 4) in 11% of the patients. Portal flow was measured preoperatively in 33 patients and in 22 (67%) it was hepatopetal. During follow-up it was reversed and after 24 months no patient had hepatopetal flow. Hepatic encephalopathy was present in 18 patients (20%) during follow-up. Shunts thrombosed in 9 patients (15%), 8 of which required reoperation. There was no operative mortality, but 4 patients (7%) died within 30 days of surgery. The main late cause of death (18/26) was liver failure. The 1 year survival was 80%, the 3 year survival 70% and the 5 year survival 60%. CONCLUSIONS: The mesocaval interposition shunt gives good longterm results and can be recommended both as an emergency and an elective procedure for patients with portal hypertension and bleeding oesophageal varices that are unresponsive to sclerotherapy.     

A 21-year experience of abdominal aortic aneurysm operations in Edinburgh

BACKGROUND: This study reviews the results of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery over 21 years (1 January 1976 to 31 December 1996). METHODS: A prospectively gathered database was analysed. RESULTS: Infrarenal AAA repair was performed in 1515 patients: 492 (32.5 per cent) had elective repair of an asymptomatic AAA; 194 (12.8 per cent) had elective repair of a symptomatic AAA; 156 (10.3 per cent) had emergency repair of a symptomatic non-ruptured AAA; and 673 (44.4 per cent) had surgery for a ruptured AAA. The 30-day and/or same admission mortality rates were 6.1, 5.8, 14.1 and 37 per cent respectively. Operative mortality increased in all four groups over the study interval, although this only attained statistical significance in patients having elective repair of a symptomatic, non-ruptured AAA. There was a significant increase in the age of patients undergoing elective repair of an asymptomatic AAA, but not in the other three groups. There was also a significant increase in the proportion of straight 'tube' grafts inserted in all four groups. CONCLUSIONS: It remains the minority of patients who have elective operation before the onset of symptoms and/or rupture. Despite anaesthetic and surgical specialization, the results of AAA repair have not improved over the past two decades. Operative mortality may be increasing, possibly because of the increasing age and associated comorbidity of the patients presenting to this unit.     

Statistical methods of computing reference values for side-to-side differences in nerve conduction studies

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of surgery in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. METHODS: The clinical history of patients operated for peptic ulcer disease in a 15 year period were reviewed. The demographic data, indications for surgery, surgical procedure, morbidity, mortality and long term results, were analyzed. RESULTS: 349 patients were operated for peptic ulcer disease or its complications, 56% male. In 78% surgery was elective, mostly due to pyloric obstruction. In the remaining 22% perforation or bleeding ulcer were the main causes for emergency surgery. The most frequent elective procedure was vagotomy and drainage (66%); in urgent surgery, a definitive procedure was done in 35% of the perforations and in 94% of the bleeding ulcers. The 30-day mortality in urgent surgery was 14%; in elective surgery there was no mortality. A satisfactory long term result was obtained in 80% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: An indication for surgical treatment of complicated peptic ulcer disease was above 50%, and 90 per cent in recent years. The frequency of urgent surgery is increasing and reached 60% of surgeries for this disease. Whenever possible, a definitive procedure is recommended.     

Surgical repair of type A aortic dissection by the circulatory arrest-graft inclusion technique in sixty-six patients

During an 8-year period (1984 to 1991) 66 patients (mean age 59 years, range 26 to 84 years) with type A aortic dissection (60 ascending aorta tears, 6 arch tears; 35 acute, 31 chronic) had surgical repair by a continuous suture-graft inclusion technique. Hypothermic circulatory arrest (16 degrees C) was used in 58 patients (35/35 acute, 23/31 chronic; mean arrest time 26 minutes, range 10 to 55 minutes). Fifty-two patients had hemiarch repair and 6 had total arch replacement. Aortic valve disease necessitated treatment in 38 patients (1 valved conduit, 20 valve replacements, 17 valve repairs). Recently 11 patients had valve repair by reconstruction of the native aortic root, by means of techniques similar to those used for homograft valve insertion. Operative mortality was 9% (14% acute, 3% chronic). Stroke occurred in 2 patients (3%) and was fatal in both. Variables suggestive of increased operative risk by univariate analysis were acuteness (p = 0.12), visceral ischemia (p = 0.12), and preoperative shock (p = 0.13). No variable was significant by multivariate analysis. Overall actuarial survival at 48 months was 77%, with 3 late deaths from a ruptured distal aneurysm. Late computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan was done in 28 patients at a mean interval of 33 months. These studies identified 1 patient with a pseudoaneurysm requiring reoperation and 3 patients with contained flow between the graft and the wrap. Three patients required late operation: 1 for pseudoaneurysm, 1 for arch dissection, and 1 for repair of a distal aneurysm.     

Biplane transoesophageal echocardiography, transthoracic Doppler, and magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of coarctation of the aorta

This study compared flow-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging with biplane transoesophageal echocardiography in combination with continuous wave Doppler from the suprasternal notch in patients with native coarctation or after surgical repair. Twenty patients (mean age 33 years, range 17-60) were investigated, of whom 15 had undergone surgery at mean age 13 years, range 5-43. Peak and mean flow in the ascending and descending aorta as well as coarctation peak velocity were determined with the magnetic resonance imaging phase contrast technique. Coarctation peak velocity was also measured by Doppler from the jugulum. Magnetic resonance imaging axial sections as well as biplane transoesophageal echocardiography were used to measure the smallest diameter of the constricted segment. Sixteen healthy volunteers, mean age 36 years, range 22-63, provided reference values for magnetic resonance imaging determined volume of flow in the aorta. Peak flow in the descending aorta was 9.2 +/- 3.7 l. min-1 (reference 13.0 +/- 2.5, P < 0.01) and mean flow 3.1 +/- 0.9 l. min-1 (reference 3.4 +/- 0.8, P > 0.05). The ratio of descending-to-ascending peak flow was 0.54 +/- 0.17 (reference 0.69 +/- 0.10, P < 0.01) and mean flow 0.68 +/- 0.15 (reference 0.69 +/- 0.08, P > 0.05). The coarctation velocity was slightly higher with Doppler than with magnetic resonance imaging (+0.24 +/- 0.44 m. s-1, 95% confidence interval +0.45 to +0.02 m. s-1, P = 0.05). The coarctation diameter was slightly larger with magnetic resonance imaging than with transoesophageal echocardiography (1.4 +/- 3.5 mm, 95% confidence interval +3.1 to -0.3 mm, P = 0.11). Both methods are suitable for the assessment and follow-up of coarctation of the aorta. Flow assessment with magnetic resonance imaging provides a hitherto unavailable measure with which to assess the severity of obstruction.     

Operation for chronic traumatic aortic aneurysm: when and how?

BACKGROUND: There are few guidelines for surgical intervention late after unoperated traumatic aortic rupture. We reviewed our experience and the literature to determine when and how to operate. METHODS: Between 1987 and 1997, we treated 9 patients aged 22 to 82 years with chronic traumatic aneurysm. Seven patients underwent aneurysm resection. Two patients have not been operated on. The injury-to-operation interval ranged from 8 weeks to 18 years (mean, 4.1 years). One patient underwent median sternotomy and patch repair during hypothermic circulatory arrest. Six patients underwent left thoracotomy: 2 were operated on with left atrio-femoral bypass, and 4 with hypothermic circulatory arrest and ascending aortic cannulation. RESULTS: There was no surgical mortality or morbidity. The 2 patients who were not operated on remained asymptomatic without radiologic change in the aneurysm after follow-up of 2 and 9 years. CONCLUSIONS: From this limited experience and literature review, we make the following subjective observations: (1) all patients with new symptoms should be operated on promptly, and (2) asymptomatic densely calcified aneurysms detected more than 2 years after the accident can be observed by repeated tomography unless new symptoms arise.