Surgical treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm after repairs of descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm

Objective: The outcome of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair after operations for descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm was investigated. Methods: Between May 1982 and July 2000, 102 patients underwent thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Of these patients, 36 had previously undergone operations for descending thoracic or abdominal aortic aneurysm. To evaluate the influence of previous descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair on the results of TAAA replacement, patients were divided into two groups: one group of patients who had previously undergone descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (group 1, n=36) and one group of patients who had not previously undergone descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (group II, n=66). Results: Patients with previous descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair had more chronic dissection and extensive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The distal aortic perfusion time and total aortic clamp time were both longer in group I. The total selective visceral and renal perfusion time and operation time did not differ significantly between the two groups. In 30-day mortality rates were 5.5% in group I and 13% in group II. Major postoperative complications included paraplegia in 14% of patients in group I and 3.1% in group II, renal failure requiring hemodialysis in 22% of patients in group I and 19% of patients in group II, respiratory failure in 36% of patients in group I and 30% of patients in group II, postoperative hemorrhage in 11% of patients in group I and 16% of patients in group II. Conclusion: The presence of a previous descending thoracic or infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm did not adversely affect the outcome of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.