MDCT angiography before and after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with thoracic traumatic aortic injuries

Objective: The objective of this study was to outline the role of multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) in the evaluation of patients with thoracic traumatic aortic injuries (TTAIs) pre- and post-thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) Subjects and methods: Forty-two patients (30 men and 12 women; age range, 24–67 years; mean age, 42.4 ± 11.5 years) with blunt chest trauma who underwent TEVAR for TTAIs were retrospectively reviewed in this study during the 66-month review period. All patients were subjected to MDCTA followed by conventional aortography as part of planning for TEVAR. Postoperative MDCTA follow-up was done for all patients within one month of TEVAR. MDCTA findings before and after TEVAR were reported. Results: The most common TTAI site was the aortic isthmus (85.7%). The MDCTA findings in 42 patients included pseudoaneurysm (38), intimal tears (30), transection (16), intraluminal haematoma (2), dissection (2), periaortic haematoma (42), and minor aortic contour abnormality without pseudoaneurysm (2). The most common associated injury was haemothorax in all patients. Postoperative MDCTA follow-up revealed only two patients with type I endoleaks. Conclusion: This study confirmed that MDCTA plays an essential role in the assessment of patients with TTAIs before and after TEVAR. Keywords: Thoracic traumatic aortic injuries, MDCTA, TEVA