[Successful surgical treatment for ruptured distal aortic arch aneurysm into lung]

We report successful aortic arch replacement using continuous retrograde cerebral perfusion (CRCP) for the three cases of ruptured distal aortic arch aneurysm (DAAA) into the left lung. All of them, who had preoperative episodes of hemosputum and hemoptysis, were diagnosed rupture of DAAA into the lung with computed tomography, magnetic resonance image, aortography or transesophageal echo. Following urgent graft replacement of the aortic arch or repair of the rupture on the suture line in the previous arch vessel reconstruction was carried out safely through median sternotomy approach. The left upper lobe of lung adherent tightly to the DAAA wall was not dissected to prevent the lung from bleeding, air leakage and infection. All of them, who awoke smoothly after CRCP, did not developed any pulmonary complications and survived uneventually. We concluded that median approach and not tearing lung from DAAA wall might be key-points for successful operation in cases of ruptured DAAA into lung and that CRCP is an safe and useful method to protect brain in such cases.