Six months after a composite graft redo operation repairing two pseudoaneurysms at the distal suture line and the right coronary artery, respectively, a patient returned asymptomatic and in good general condition but with new presternal bulges. Computed tomography and angiography diagnosed a new pseudoaneurysm of the left coronary artery, and on frank rupture, acute re-repair was undertaken with the aid of presternotomy hypothermic circulatory arrest. Temporary postoperative neurological dysfunction subsided and recovery was otherwise uneventful.

Based on a Presentation at the 2013 VEITH Symposium, November 19–23, 2013 (New York, NY, USA) According to international guidelines, stable patients with uncomplicated Type B aortic dissection (TBAD) should receive optimal medical treatment. Despite adequate antihypertensive therapy, the long-term prognosis of these patients is characterized by a significant aortic aneurysm formation in 25-30% within four years, and survival rates from 50 to 80% at five years and 30 to 60% at 10 years. In a prospective randomized trial, preemptive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with chronic uncomplicated TBAD was associated with an excess early mortality (due to periprocedural hazards), but the procedure showed its benefit in prevention of aortic-specific mortality at five years of follow-up. However, preemptive TEVAR may not be the treatment of choice in all patients with uncomplicated TBAD because of the inherent periprocedural complications like stroke, paraparesis, and death, as well as stent graft-induced complications (i.e., retrograde dissection or endoleaks). Thus, the TEVAR-related deaths and complications (especially paraplegia and stroke) raise concerns that moderate the better survival with TEVAR at five years. By timely identification of those patients prone for developing complications, early intervention, preferably in the subacute or early chronic phase, may improve the overall long-term outcome for these patients. Therefore, early detectable and reliable prognostic factors for adverse events are essential to stratify patients who can be treated medically and those who will benefit from rigorous follow-up and, in the long-term, from timely, or even prophylactic, TEVAR. Several studies have identified prognostic factors in TBAD such as aortic diameter, partial false lumen thrombosis, false lumen thickness, and location of the primary entry tear. Combining these clinical and radiological predictors may be essential to implement a patient-specific approach designed to intervene only in those patients who are at high risk of developing complications to improve the long-term outcomes of patients with uncomplicated Type B aortic dissection.

We describe a rare case of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm detected incidentally at coronary angiography in a 64-year-old man with a history of a Bentall procedure 8 years previously. The patient underwent reoperation, with longitudinal opening and cleaning of the aortic pseudoaneurysm and graft repair of the defect. This report highlights the insidious late onset of pseudoaneurysm and the importance of its detection and treatment.

The paper by Martinelli et al. [1] presents a variant of the frozen elephant trunk procedure for repair of pathology in the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and proximal descending aorta. The authors take the approach of performing the distal anastomosis in an extraanatomic location proximal to the innominate artery. Their other modification involves a sidearm graft to the subclavian artery, which is used initially for perfusion and subsequently for permanent anastomosis to the main graft.

Based on a Presentation at the 2013 VEITH Symposium, November 19–23, 2013 (New York, NY, USA) Three-dimensional (3D) guidance for endovascular procedures has developed over the last decade from 3D rotational angiography to the use of dynamic 3D roadmap techniques. The latest development is image merging. This technique combines real-time feedback of fluoroscopy with optimal soft-tissue contrast of previously performed computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance angiography. Merging of CT angiography and cone-beam CT/fluoroscopic images is feasible, and preliminary results look promising. Merging will allow us to further reduce radiation exposure, contrast dose, and procedural time, and its main use and benefit will be in complex endovascular interventions.

A 69-year-old man presented with chest pain and a computed tomography scan demonstrated an acute penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU) of the proximal descending aorta with an associated intramural hematoma (IMH) extending retrograde to the aortic root and distally to the renal arteries. He successfully underwent endovascular repair of the PAU and medical management of the associated ascending intramural hematoma with complete resolution at 6 months.