Dissection of the abdominal aorta in blunt trauma: Endovascular or conventional surgical management?

Background: Dissection of the abdominal aorta caused by blunt trauma is a rare injury, often complicated by thrombosis within the true and false lumens and sometimes aortic rupture. The mortality rate with conservative medical management is approximately 75%, whereas it ranges from 18% to 37% with surgical treatment.

Methods: At our institution, 7 of the 87 patients admitted because of blunt aortic trauma, between January 1995 and January 2002, had abdominal aortic dissection.

Results: Four patients were treated using endovascular techniques by percutaneous stent placement. The indications for endovascular management were lower limb ischemia in one case and extension of the dissection in two; one patient was asymptomatic. Aortic dissection was complicated by ischemic paraplegia in two patients, and both were treated by conventional operative repair. One patient was managed medically because of a minimal intimal disruption. No deaths were related to the aortic dissection or its treatment. Angiographic and computed tomographic (CT) studies showed thrombosis of the false lumen and complete obliteration of the dissection in the endovascular group. The neurologic condition of the two paraplegic patients either cleared completely or partially improved.

Conclusion: In the absence of ischemic paraplegia or other injuries that require emergency surgery, endovascular treatment is a safe and efficient method for treating traumatic infrarenal aortic dissection.