Surgical treatment of aneurysms of the ascending aorta. With special reference to cystic medial necrosis of the aorta.

The clinical series comprised 14 patients with aneurysms of the ascending aorta. In the autopsy series, there were additionally 19 patients, who had died suddenly as a results of free perforation or dissection of the ascending aorta. In the clinical series, the cause of the aneurysmal formation was cystic medial necrosis in 10 patients, 8 of whom had severe aortic valve insufficiency. Twelve patients were operated on using extracorporeal circulation, Both the ascending aorta and aortic valve were replaced with prosthesis in 6 cases. Three patients underwent emergency surgery due to pericardial tamponade. All three died, despite a technically successful operation. One patient out of 9 electively operated upon died. A follow-up examination was carried out on the 5 surviving cystic medial necrosis patients. Aneurysms of the sinuses of Valsalva developed after supracoronary resection in 2 patients. The results showed that elective operations in the event of aneurysms of the ascending aorta can be carried out with an acceptably low mortality rate. However, after supracoronary resection, in cases of cystic medial necrosis, the risk of developing aneurysms of the proximal aortic remnant seems obvious. Therefore, in patients in whom the whole aortic root is involved, total removal of the ascending aorta and re-implantation of the coronary ostia into the prosthetic tube is preferable.