Abstract
Based on a Presentation at the 2013 VEITH Symposium, November 19–23, 2013 (New York,
NY, USA)
According to international guidelines, stable patients with uncomplicated Type B aortic
dissection (TBAD) should receive optimal medical treatment. Despite adequate antihypertensive
therapy, the long-term prognosis of these patients is characterized by a significant
aortic aneurysm formation in 25-30% within four years, and survival rates from 50
to 80% at five years and 30 to 60% at 10 years. In a prospective randomized trial,
preemptive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with chronic uncomplicated
TBAD was associated with an excess early mortality (due to periprocedural hazards),
but the procedure showed its benefit in prevention of aortic-specific mortality at
five years of follow-up. However, preemptive TEVAR may not be the treatment of choice
in all patients with uncomplicated TBAD because of the inherent periprocedural complications
like stroke, paraparesis, and death, as well as stent graft-induced complications
(i.e., retrograde dissection or endoleaks). Thus, the TEVAR-related deaths and complications
(especially paraplegia and stroke) raise concerns that moderate the better survival
with TEVAR at five years. By timely identification of those patients prone for developing
complications, early intervention, preferably in the subacute or early chronic phase,
may improve the overall long-term outcome for these patients. Therefore, early detectable
and reliable prognostic factors for adverse events are essential to stratify patients
who can be treated medically and those who will benefit from rigorous follow-up and,
in the long-term, from timely, or even prophylactic, TEVAR. Several studies have identified
prognostic factors in TBAD such as aortic diameter, partial false lumen thrombosis,
false lumen thickness, and location of the primary entry tear. Combining these clinical
and radiological predictors may be essential to implement a patient-specific approach
designed to intervene only in those patients who are at high risk of developing complications
to improve the long-term outcomes of patients with uncomplicated Type B aortic dissection.
Key Words
Type B aortic dissection - Endovascular - Thoracic aorta