Treatment of Aortic Arch Dissection Using the Elephant Trunk Technique

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= 7) or thoracoabdominal (n= 15) aorta. Procedures were performed under hypothermic circulatory arrest at between 15° and 20°C. Antegrade cerebral perfusion was used in three cases. The procedure was associated with aortic valve replacement and/or coronary bypass in 6 cases and bypass of one or more supraaortic vessels in 13. In two patients the distal end of the elephant trunk was attached with an endovascular prosthesis during the same procedure. The ensuing results in these patients indicate that the elephant trunk technique can be highly effective for treatment of complex aortic arch dissection.