Surveillance Imaging Following Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

In this large series, Dr. Chung and associates performed a study on  completeness of guideline-directed imaging surveillance (GDIS) and its association with long-term outcomes.  In 888 patients with acute type A dissection who survived surgical repair, 14% received GDIS throughout a median follow-up of 5.2 years, and GDIS was available in 3.4% at 6 years.  Intriguingly, greater adherence to GDIS was associated with mortality (hazard ratio: 1.08; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.11) and reintervention (hazard ratio: 1.04; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.07).