Chronic Type I and Type III aortic dissections: a propensity analysis of outcomes after open distal repair.

Objectives: To compare short-term outcomes, long-term survival and reinterventions in patients requiring surgery after chronic Type I and chronic primary Type III aortic dissections.

Methods: Over an 11-year period, 466 patients underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair for chronic Type III (n = 239) and Type I (n = 227) aortic dissections. Short-term outcomes and reinterventions were evaluated by multivariable regression analysis for the entire group; propensity matching produced 169 pairs.

Results: Mortality was 6% (n = 28) in the overall cohort and 6.2% (n = 14) and 5.9% (n = 14) in those with chronic Type I and Type III aortic dissections, respectively. Overall stroke and persistent spinal cord deficit rates were 4.0% and 2.6%, respectively, in the Type I group and 1.3% and 3.8% in the Type III group. In the propensity-matched patients, analysis showed no neurological differences between the 2 groups, but respiratory failure was significantly more frequent in the chronic Type I group (30.2% vs 15.4%; P = 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified chronic Type I dissection as an independent risk factor for postoperative pulmonary complications (odds ratio 1.612; 95% confidence interval 1.060-2.452; P = 0.026) and an association between chronic Type I dissection and stroke (odds ratio 4.013; 95% confidence interval 1.026-15.698; P = 0.046). Six-year survival was 74.4% ± 4.1% and 74.4% ± 4.6% in the chronic Type I and Type III groups, respectively (P = 0.87).

Conclusions: Short- and long-term mortality and reintervention rates were comparable after open repair for chronic Type I and primary chronic Type III aortic dissections. Respiratory failure was more frequent in the chronic Type I aortic dissection group.