[Traumatic aortic rupture: immediate surgery--interval operation?].

On the basis of our own patient population of the last 12 years which involved 17 traumatic ruptures of the descending thoracic aorta in the isthmus area (preoperative hospital mortality at the time of diagnosis: 5.8%; surgical mortality: 27%; postoperative hospital mortality: 18.7%) the problems of assessing indications for surgical intervention in polytraumatized patients with aortic damage are discussed. The indications for "immediate surgery", for "surgery with delayed urgency", and for "surgery in the interval" are clearly defined.