Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Novel and Innovative Hybrid Technique for Type A Aortic Dissection
Published on: March 28, 2025
Endovascular stent - graft treatment for blunt aortic injury
Masaaki Kato1, Shougo Yatsu, Hiroshige Sato
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Saitama Medical School, Japan. katomasa@saitama-med.ac.jp
Insights
Endovascular stent-grafts offer a less invasive option for treating blunt aortic injury (BAI) in high-risk patients. This study shows the technique is feasible with no perioperative deaths or major complications.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Surgery
- Trauma Surgery
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Blunt aortic injury (BAI) is often fatal and complicated by polytrauma.
- Standard surgical repair of BAI is challenging due to associated injuries.
- Endovascular stent-grafts present a less invasive treatment alternative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and safety of endovascular stent-graft repair for blunt aortic injury.
- To assess outcomes in high-risk patients with BAI and polytrauma.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 6 patients with BAI treated with endovascular stent-grafts between 2002-2003.
- Homemade stent-grafts deployed via femoral artery using 18-20 Fr sheaths.
- Endovascular approach chosen due to polytrauma or comorbidities.
Main Results:
- No perioperative deaths, renal failure, or neurologic complications occurred.
- One patient required additional intervention for proximal endoleak post-procedure.
- No other endoleaks, migration, or stent-graft alterations observed on follow-up CT scans.
Conclusions:
- Endovascular repair of blunt aortic injury is technically feasible.
- It serves as a viable alternative to open surgery for high-risk patients.
- Stent-graft treatment demonstrates safety and efficacy in this patient cohort.
Background:
Thoracic aortic injury resulting from blunt trauma is usually fatal and almost always associated with multiple, complex, nonaortic injuries that can adversely affect standard surgical repair of the aorta. Endovascular stent - graft treatment offers these patients a less invasive operative treatment option.
Methods And Results:
Between January 2002 and October 2003, 6 patients with blunt aortic injury (BAI) were treated with a stent - graft. In all cases endovascular management was selected because of associated polytrauma or comorbidities. All stent - grafts were homemade and deployed through the femoral artery with 18-20 Fr delivery sheaths. There were no cases of perioperative death, renal failure, or neurologic complication. In one patient the postoperative computed tomography scan showed proximal endoleak requiring additional balloon dilatation and stenting. No other endoleaks were observed by CT in the acute phase. None of the follow-up CT scans revealed evidence of endoleak, migration, or alteration of the stent - graft.
Conclusions:
Endovascular repair for BAI is technically feasible and is an alternative to open surgery for high-risk patients.
