Aortic Disease Knowledge

  In recent years, it has been found that the increased incidence of patients with aortic aneurysm is more related to today’s living environment, where stressful life, hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic diet lead to increased aortic pressure and unstable hypertension, which does not attract the attention of patients and eventually leads to the formation of aneurysm and aortic coarctation. When the diameter of aortic aneurysm >5 cm, regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms, once diagnosed, and in the absence of contraindications to surgery in other organs of the body, corresponding surgical treatment should be performed, because the chance of aneurysm rupture increases at this time. Aneurysms >7 cm in diameter should be operated on for a limited period of time. Severe aortic valve closure insufficiency leading to left heart failure should be treated with emergency surgery if drug therapy is not effective. Age is not a contraindication to surgery, but heart, lung, liver and kidney status sometimes do not allow surgery.  Surgical treatment of DeBakey type I and II aortic coarctation is more effective than pharmacological treatment. Moreover, our hospital and other data show that the risk of death from type I and II aortic coarctation rupture and aortic valve closure insufficiency is greater. Therefore, for DeBakey type I and II aortic coarctation, a comprehensive treatment approach based on surgery should be adopted in both the acute and chronic phases. Patients in the acute stage, especially those with type II coarctation or combined with aortic valve insufficiency, should be operated urgently under active drug therapy, which can prevent further coarctation and reduce the incidence of aortic rupture and acute left heart failure.  Previously, it was thought that surgical treatment of DeBakey type III aortic coarctation in the acute phase was approximately as effective as pharmacological treatment, while the risks of surgery were greater. However, with the maturation of surgical techniques and the accumulation of surgical experience, it is now considered that the following conditions should be operated urgently: 1. signs of aortic rupture (massive thoracic hemorrhage, hemorrhagic shock); 2. those who have a tendency to aortic rupture (hypertension cannot be controlled by medication, pain cannot be relieved, and aortic diameter increases rapidly in a short period of time); 3. impaired blood supply to important organs. Patients with chronic phase, such as aortic diameter increasing, or limited augmentation should also be treated surgically. In recent years, intra-aortic visceral supported prosthetic vascular implantation has been considered as a potentially better treatment because of its safety, effectiveness and minimal trauma. This procedure is indicated for patients with type III coarctation of the aorta with continuous traffic between true and false lumens, distal vital organ ischemia or coarctation aneurysm rupture.