Post-traumatic aortic dissections: Aortic trauma

Traumatic lesions of the aorta are considered to be one of the most serious complications of polytrauma, generally occurring as a result of closed shear force trauma. These traumas are typically observed in road accidents or falls from great heights. The most common site for these injuries is the aortic isthmus, a vulnerable point on the aortic arch. The management of these aortic traumas requires rapid and rigorous intervention, and thus constitutes a medical-surgical emergency. In the past, urgent surgical revision by temporary suture, graft interposition or thoracic aortic replacement represented the only therapeutic option. However, this procedure, particularly in polytraumatized patients, was associated with a high risk of mortality, reaching up to 42%. Recently, the implantation of a stent graft in the damaged part of the thoracic aorta, an innovative endovascular method known as endovascular thoracic aortic repair, has become the standard of care.