Nonoperative management of grade III blunt thoracic aortic injuries

Objective Blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAIs) have historically been treated with open surgery; thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), however, is rapidly becoming the standard of care for all grades of injury. Previous studies have shown successful, conservative management of low-grade (I and II) BTAI, but limited literature exists regarding nonoperative management (NOM) for high-grade BTAI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate NOM for grade III BTAI compared with TEVAR. Methods There were 75 patients diagnosed with BTAI between January 2004 and June 2015. Of these, 40 were excluded for different grades of BTAI (17), death before any treatment (6), and need for urgent open repair (17). The remaining 35 patients were divided into two groups by treatment approach: NOM (n = 18) and TEVAR (n = 17). Primary end points were complications and mortality. The secondary end point was difference in pseudoaneurysm and aortic diameter measurements between groups. Results The groups of patients were similar in age, gender, Injury Severity Score, length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and hospital-associated complications. There were four TEVAR-related complications: graft involutions (2), type I endoleak (1), and distal embolization (1). All TEVAR-related complications required either an adjunctive procedure at the time of the primary procedure or an additional procedure. No patients from the NOM group required operative intervention. There were seven in-hospital mortalities: two in the TEVAR group (11.8%) and five in the NOM group (27.8%; P  = .402). One death in the NOM group was related to aortic disease. Follow-up computed tomography imaging revealed similar aortic-related outcomes between groups, with a high proportion showing resolved or improved aortic injury (NOM, 87.5%; TEVAR, 92.9%; P  = .674). Initial computed tomography imaging showed similar aortic diameters between groups. The average diameter of the aorta distal to the subclavian artery was 22.6 mm in the NOM group vs 22.8 mm in the TEVAR group ( P  = .85). The average maximum diameter of the pseudoaneurysm was 30.1 mm in the TEVAR group and 29.9 mm in the NOM group ( P  = .90). The average ratio of diameter of the pseudoaneurysm to diameter of the aorta distal to the subclavian artery was 1.32 for the TEVAR group and 1.33 for the NOM group ( P  = .85). Conclusions The natural history of grade III BTAIs is not well described. This study suggests that observation and NOM of grade III BTAI may be a reasonable therapeutic option in selected patients. It also speaks to the need for further delineation of the natural history of this injury. Serial imaging and long-term follow-up are necessary to monitor the progression of the pseudoaneurysm.