Cook Medical announced on 12 May 2010 the completion of the first implants of its Zenith TX2 Low Profile TAA Endovascular Graft, as part of a clinical investigation, by assistant professor Piotr Kasprzak, head of vascular surgery at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. He was assisted by Alexander Loibnegger.
At 16F or 18F, the TX2 Low Profile delivery system is smaller than a standard TX2 device and is engineered to allow patients with challenging anatomies to be treated percutaneously. As a result, patients who previously may not have been suited to thoracic endovascular repair, for example those with narrowed, small or tortuous arteries, may now benefit from minimally invasive treatment.
Up to ten medical centres across Europe may take part in the TX2 Low Profile TAA study. The first two patients were treated using the Zenith TX2 Low Profile TAA Endovascular Graft in Regensburg on 17 March 2010. One patient was treated for an aneurysm measuring approximately 10cm in diameter and the other patient was treated for an ulcer, the latter of which was notable for narrow access vessel anatomy (measuring approximately 5mm in diameter). Both were successfully treated by minimally invasive means.
Kasprzak said: “Treating an aneurysm with the TX2 Low Profile TAA from Cook Medical shows great promise. With this stent we’re able to treat patients with TEVAR. The TX2 Low Profile may provide a viable alternative to open surgery that may result in lower risks of complications to a larger patient population.”
