ABSTRACT
My sentiments regarding thoracic aortic endografting and endovascular intervention, in general, have long been the same – in selected patients, endografting shows evident benefit in the treatment of a variety of pathologies. When we consider the complications associated with open thoracic aortic repair – even when skilled operators are involved – the need for a minimally invasive approach that reduces the likelihood of complications and improves the odds of a more rapid recovery has always been great. Indeed, successful intervention that minimizes complications is extremely important in any medical or surgical setting. At present, a number of innovative techniques addressing thoracic aortic pathologies that incorporate endovascular repair alone or with surgical methods have been described.1-19,23,24 In this chapter, the indications for endovascular intervention of TAAs are described, a review of the Gore TAG device is presented and compared with our institutional experience.
