Outcomes of Anterolateral Thoracotomy With or Without Partial Sternotomy for Kommerell Diverticulum

Background Kommerell diverticulum is a rare aortic arch anomaly. The indications for operative intervention and surgical strategy are still controversial. The standard surgical procedure at our institution is total aortic arch plus descending aortic replacement using anterolateral thoracotomy with partial sternotomy. The aberrant subclavian artery is reconstructed anatomically or extraanatomically. Methods From 2002 to 2014, 6 patients (1 woman), aged 55 to 78 years, underwent graft replacement through an anterolateral thoracotomy or anterolateral thoracotomy with a partial sternotomy approach for Kommerell diverticulum. All patients underwent graft replacement of the descending aorta or total aortic arch plus descending aorta in addition to aberrant subclavian artery reconstruction. Results No hospital deaths or major complications occurred. Recurrent nerve injury developed at discharge in 1 patient. All patients were well during the follow-up period (range, 11 to 116 months). Conclusions Kommerell diverticulum and its associated symptoms were surgically treated with acceptable outcomes.