Fortythree patients with disease of the aorta were admitted in this department during the period from beginning of 1956 to the end of 1976.
They consisted of eighteen cases of aortic aneurysms, eight cases of Takayasu´s arteritis, eight Leriche syndromes, six dissecting aneurysms, two aortic coarctations and one case of vascular ring.
Of eighteen aortic aneurysms, twelve were operated resulting in eight survivors. Three of four mortalities were in shock preoperatively because of aneurysmal rupture.
Among six dissecting aortic aneurysms, four were type Ⅲ and two were type Ⅰ according to DeBakey´s classification. For the purpose of relief of acute arterial insufficiency in the lower extremities, a re-entry operation grafting a Y-shaped dacron vessel between abdominal aorta and common iliac arteries was performed. The patient regained conscionsness soon after the operation and was well until postoperative second day, when severe convulsion developed abruptly and died. And in a chronic case of type Ⅲ dissecting aneurysm, a dacron graft bypass shunt between ascending aorta and lower descending thoracic aorta with resection of the aneurysm was performed, but acute severe aortic insufficiency developed soon after the operation and fell into intractable heart failure resulting in death. The cause of the aortic insufficiency seems to be retrograde dissection from the proximal anastomosis site in the ascending aorta. Three cases were treated medically with Wheat´s regimen. Two of them survived with relief of symptoms.
Eight patients of Takayasu´s arteritis were all females and aged between twenty and forty-four averaging twentynine. Bypass graft operation between aortic arch and carotid arteries using Y-shaped nylon prostheses were performed in three patients resulting in death in two. cases postoperatively due to severe cerebral arterial insufficiency during the procedure.
All the patients with Leriche syndrome were males and over forty. In two cases, bypass graft with Y-shaped dacron vessel between terminal aorta and common iliac or femoral arteries were performed with good result. Thromboembolectomy or thromboendarterectomy was employed in three patients, of whom one was aggravated in sexual problem postoperatively.
One out of two aortic coarctations and a vascular ring were treated surgically with excellent results.
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