Rupture of the ascending aorta caused by blunt trauma

Rupture of the ascending aorta caused by blunt trauma rarely has been diagnosed and treated. As a result, the clinical manifestations and management of this injury have not been clearly defined.

We describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of 3 consecutive patients with ascending aortic rupture treated during the last 3 years. We also review the cases with this injury reported in the English-language literature until 1996.

The predominant clinical manifestations of all patients, including reviewed case reports, were those of other organ injuries, and 5 had signs of aortic regurgitation and 1 of cardiac tamponade. The mediastinal silhouette was normal in 6 and widened in 14 patients, 1 of whom had also rupture of the subclavian artery. The aortic tears were managed with primary repair or with graft interposition and the valve injury with replacement or repair. Three of 20 patients died, for an overall mortality of 15%.

Ascending aortic rupture should be considered in any patient with severe blunt trauma who has widened mediastinum or cardiac tamponade, as well as in patients with associated major thoracic injuries. Absence of a widened mediastinal silhouette does not exclude the diagnosis. The repair is relatively straightforward, but survival depends primarily on the severity of associated injuries.