Statistical analysis
Analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 22(IBM Corp.,
Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics were presented as mean ±
standard deviation for continuous variables and frequency and percentage
for categorical variables. The X2 and Fisher’s test
were used to compare subgroups. Kaplan- Meier method was applied to draw
survival curves and calculate 10-year survival statistics. Linear
regression analysis was used to analyze changes in the ascending aorta.
Model selection was based on Akaike’s information criterion. All
statistical tests were 2 sided with the alpha level set at 0.05 for
statistical significance.