[Optimal timing of endovascular treatment for uncomplicated Stanford type B aortic dissection]

Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) is an acute and life-threatening disease. The treatment of TBAD used to be depended on whether it is complicated. The therapeutic guidelines recommend thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as first-line treatment for patients with acute complicated TBAD, while recommend best medical therapy for patients with acute uncomplicated TBAD (UTBAD). However, the latest studies suggest that patients with UTBAD also should be treated with pre-emptive TEVAR, which can significantly improve aortic remodeling and clinical outcome. Considering improvement of aortic remodeling and prevention of severe complications, the best timing of pre-emptive TEVAR may be 14-90 days after the onset of TBAD (subacute phase). The other main issue is identifying which patients with UTBAD should undergo pre-emptive TEVAR. Several risk factors including imaging, clinical and laboratory parameters have been shown to be associated with aortic-related events in patients with UTBAD. Among imaging finding, the diameters of aortic or false lumen, the status of true or false lumen, the size or number of entry tears have identified to be as predictors of adverse aortic events in patients with UTBAD.