Joseph Bavaria (Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, USA) speaks to Vascular News about a technique he says offers a “complete and total thoracic solution” for acute dissections, chronic dissections, and aneurysms. The technique in question: open zone 2 arch repair followed by delayed branched arch thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) completion with GORE® TAG® Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis (TBE).
Bavaria highlights the technical features of the TBE that make it well suited to the procedure, as well as the advantages of a staged approach in thoracic pathologies compared to other surgical options or a frozen elephant trunk (FET).
“It’s a simpler operation than a zone 3 arch, or a FET,” he says, noting among several factors that the procedure steers clear of surrounding nerves and does not go as deep into the chest as a FET. In addition, Bavaria points out that the procedure avoids left subclavian artery surgical revascularisation and reduces the risk of paraplegia. He notes that the TBE graft is “specifically designed” to deal with subclavian arteries. “It’s like the perfect marriage,” he comments, citing a paraplegia rate of zero at his centre as a result of the device’s suitability for the anatomy.
This post is sponsored by W.L. GORE & Associates.
