Aortic Transection

Excerpt

Aortic transection describes the shearing injury to the aortic wall that typically results from blunt traumatic mechanisms. Although uncommon, this injury carries significant morbidity and mortality. In the blunt trauma patient, aortic transection is the second highest cause of mortality, second only to devastating neurologic injury. Most aortic injuries occur in the thorax due to anatomical fixation points. Thoracic aortic injury accounts for one-third of automobile accident deaths. Due to the severity of the injury, most patients with aortic transection do not survive long enough for transport or hospital evaluation. 80% of patients with thoracic traumatic aortic injury die at the scene. The treatment of these injuries has undergone a dramatic shift within the last two decades with the advent of endovascular treatments. Endovascular stent grafts are the mainstay of treatment with fewer complications and improved morbidity and survival profiles when compared to open treatment.