Successful resection of a distal aortic arch aneurysm in a patient with Behçet's disease using an "aortic no-touch" technique and hypothermic total-body retrograde perfusion

Abstract

Resection of a false aneurysm of the aortic arch in a patient with Behçet's disease was safely performed using an "aortic no-touch" technique. This consisted of: (1) femoral artery and bicaval cannulation, (2) profound hypothermia (below 20 degrees C) by core cooling, (3) retrograde cardioplegia through the coronary sinus, and (4) total body retrograde perfusion via both venae cavae without aortic cross-clamping. The patient showed no evidence of neurological damage and the postoperative course was uneventful.