[The value of computer tomography in the postoperative long-term surveillance of patients with a vascular prosthesis...

Because of the possibility of life-threatening late complications by anastomotic aneurysms and the danger of their rupture, all patients in whom a coarctation of the aorta was resected and replaced by a vascular prosthesis must be followed up continuously for life. Their chest x-rays show-in addition to unequivocally normal or pathological findings-sometimes questionable variations of the aortic outline, which must be diagnosed definitely by further investigations. By means of computerized tomography, the suspicion of an anastomotic aneurysm can either be refuted or confirmed in almost all cases. Thus, the invasive examination by aortography, which is desirable before operation of an aneurysm, may be omitted in the group of unsuspicious patients. Out of 198 patients, who received a vascular prosthesis for correction of an aortic coarctation in the time from 1960 to 1980, 27 were examined by computerized tomography because of irregular findings in their chest x-rays. In 6 patients the suspicion of an anastomotic aneurysm was confirmed and could be proved by aortography and reoperation. In 21 patients an aortography could be omitted because of its unsuspicious findings by computerized tomography.