Comparative Study of the Frozen Elephant Trunk and Classical Elephant Trunk Techniques to Supplement Total Arch Replacement for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

In 148 patients with type A aortic dissection who underwent emergency total arch replacement, 155 had a conventional elephant trunk procedure (CET, age 65 ± 12 years) and 33 had a frozen elephant trunk procedure (FET, 67 ± 11 years). Early mortality was similar in the two groups (8.7% with CET versus 6.1% with FET). The FET group showed advantages of false lumen thrombosis and aortic remodeling at early follow-up examinations.