Surgical repair of an acute Stanford type A aortic dissection in a patient with a retrosternal gastric tube

Cardiovascular surgery in patients with a retrosternal gastric tube (RGT) remains rare despite improvements in the prognosis of oesophageal cancer. A 75-year old woman with a history of total thoracic oesophagectomy with RGT reconstruction required emergency aortic archreplacement for an acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. We opted for a median sternotomyapproach involving complete dissectionof the RGT from surrounding tissues and retraction for surgical access to the dissection. Enhanced computed tomography was useful for the diagnosis and planning of the emergency surgery.