The great vessel freeze-out: A meta-analysis of conventional versus frozen elephant trunks in aortic arch surgery.

Background: The optimal treatment strategy for complex aortic arch and proximal descending aortic pathologies remains controversial. Despite the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique's increasing popularity, its use over the conventional elephant trunk (CET) remains a matter of physician preference and outcomes are varied.

Methods: This meta-analysis of available comparative studies of FET versus CET sought to examine differences in survival, reintervention, and adverse events.

Pulmonary artery aneurysms: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative findings.

Background: Pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAAs) are a rare but potentially lethal cardiovascular pathology. PAAs tend to develop in young patients with no gender discrepancy; they are most often associated with congenital heart disorders but also with systemic infections, vasculitis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic pulmonary embolism, and malignancies. Dissection and rupture carry significant morbidity and mortality, thus patients require careful management, especially those with associated pulmonary hypertension.