Traumatic Aortic Dissection as a Unique Clinical Entity: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Comparing traumatic aortic dissection (TAD) with non-traumatic aortic dissection (NTAD) is crucial for optimizing patient management.
• Stanford Type B aortic dissection presents unique challenges in both traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of Stanford Type B traumatic aortic dissection (TAD) versus non-traumatic aortic dissection (NTAD).
• To assess optimal management strategies for traumatic aortic dissection.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for Stanford Type B aortic dissection.
• Patients were categorized into TAD (n=65) and NTAD (n=288) groups based on trauma history.
• Comparison of baseline characteristics, laboratory indicators, imaging, surgical procedures, and follow-up results.

Main Results:

• TAD patients were younger (50 vs. 55 years) and had lower rates of hypertension (20% vs. 71.18%) compared to NTAD.
• Aortic dissection length was significantly shorter in the TAD group (30 mm vs. 344 mm).
• TAD group experienced shorter preoperative duration (7 vs. 11 days) and fewer mid-to-long-term complications post-TEVAR.

Conclusions:

• Traumatic aortic dissection (TAD) is clinically distinct from non-traumatic aortic dissection (NTAD).
• TAD typically involves more localized aortic lesions.
• Patients with TAD demonstrate improved mid-to-long-term outcomes following TEVAR compared to NTAD.