DISSECTING ANEURYSM OF THE DESCENDING THORACIC AORTA - SURGICAL OR MEDICAL-TREATMENT

A follow-up study was made of 49 patients with dissecting aneurysm of the thoracic aorta diagnosed in the period 1969-1981. Comparison was made of surgery vs. antihypertensive drugs for treatment of dissecting aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta (DeBakey type III). Of 22 non-surgically treated patients with type III dissection, 14 survived for a year or more after the diagnosis, whereas only 1 of 13 patients survived surgery for any length of time. The prognosis in dissection of DeBakey type III thus seemed to be better with medical than with surgical treatment.