Endovascular treatment of blunt traumatic ruptures of the thoracic aorta

In spite of technical advances in aortic surgery, the mortality and morbidity rates remain high in cases of blunt traumatic ruptures of the thoracic aorta. In these circumstances, endovascular repair has rapidly emerged as an alternative treatment with promising therapeutic potentials. In spite of attractive aspects of stent-grafting, some technical difficulties have to be overcome. The short proximal neck oftenly seen is considered the main difficulty. The tight curvature of the distal aortic arch and the vascular access remain important limitations because of the stiffness and the considerable diameters of the…