Wrapping of the ascending aorta revisited—is there any role left for conservative treatment of ascending aortic aneurysm?

Dilatation of the ascending aorta (AA) is a common finding in patients with aortic valve disease. The clinical practice guidelines recommend replacing the AA whenever the diameter exceeds 45 mm. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the approach when the aorta is only moderately dilated. Although the risk in aorta replacement is generally low, it may be higher when associated with other complex surgical procedures or it is carried out in elderly patients or patients with significant comorbidity. This would justify the use of alternative surgical techniques, which reduce surgical risk and guarantee a durable correction of the aortic pathology. Conservative treatment of aneurysms of the AA via wrapping with different synthetic materials has been implemented for many years. The most commonly used technical variant is wrapping the dilated aorta with a vascular prosthesis with a predetermined diameter. When this technique is adequately applied, it immediately reduces the diameter of the AA and, to a lesser degree, the diameter of the aortic root and arch, while at the same time it reinforces the weak aortic wall. These effects lead to a drop-in wall shear stress and in the risk of aortic dissection and rupture, and persist over time. Although the low elasticity of the external support causes significant changes in the histologic structure of the aortic wall, mainly atrophy and alterations typical of a foreign body-induced reaction, this does not seem to involve a higher risk of complications. In some selected patients, this technique may be used in cases other than post-stenotic aortopathy, and also in aortas with a larger diameter.