Acute type a aortic dissection: Retrograde perfusion with left superior vena cava

Retrograde cerebral perfusion with hypothermic circulatory arrest confers a dditional cerebral protection during repair of type A aortic dissection. We present a 42-year-old man with acute type A aortic dissection and a persis tent, left superior vena cava. Cannulation of the right and left superior v ena cava is used for retrograde perfusion of both hemispheres with bilatera l monitoring of electroencephalogram and somatosensory-evoked potentials du ring and after the hypothermic circulatory arrest interval. (C) 2000 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.