Descending Aortic Rupture after Frozen Elephant Trunk Technique for Dissected Aortic Arch Aneurysm

Abstract

We report a 41-year-old man who presented with a ruptured dissecting aneurysm of the descending aorta. He had undergone aortic root replacement for an acute aortic dissection (Stanford type A) ; 8 months later, he had undergone total arch replacement with insertion of a frozen elephant trunk (FET) due to enlargement of the chronic dissecting aneurysm of the arch. FET-induced new entry and incomplete thrombosis occurred postoperatively. Three months after FET insertion, he developed an aortic rupture that required emergency replacement of the descending aorta. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged 16 days after the operation.