Surgical Management of a Ballistic Trauma of the Right Ventricle and Descending Thoracic Aorta

Ballistic injuries of the descending aorta are uncommon and of extremely severe prognosis. We report the case of a 55-year-old man treated for such a thoracic trauma that combined wounds of the heart and descending thoracic aorta. A combination of conventional surgical and endovascular approaches enabled successful treatment.