Treatment of right-sided aortic arch aneurysms with aberrant left subclavian artery with Kommerell's diverticulum using the frozen elephant trunk technique.

OBJECTIVES: The ideal treatment for aneuryms of aberrant left subclavian arteries with Kommerell's diverticulum arising from right aortic arches remains open.

METHODS: Between January 2015 and December 2020, five patients with aneurysms from a right-sided aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and Kommerell's diverticulum underwent repair by using the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique in three aortic centers. Patients' characteristics were retrospectively reviewed and the surgical procedure and outcomes are presented.

RESULTS: The median age of the 2 male and 3 female patients was 59 (range from 49 to 63) years. Median operative times were as follow: surgery 405 min (range from 335 to 534), cardiopulmonary bypass time 244 min (range from 208 to 280), aortic clamp time 120 min (from 71 to 184). The mean core temperature was 25,94 °C (from 24 to 28). The intensive care unit stay was 4 days (range from 1 to 8) and the in-hospital stay 21 days (from 16 to 34). All patients were discharged and we observed no stroke or spinal cord ischaemia postoperatively. During the median follow-up time of 1003 days (range from 450 to 2306), three patients required subsequent thoracic endovascular distal stent graft extension.

CONCLUSIONS: The FET technique is a good treatment option for patients with aneuryms of an aberrant left subclavian artery with Kommerell's diverticulum arising from right aortic arches. Secondary stent graft extension is a frequently needed component of the treatment concept.