Physicians performing thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) now can achieve even greater levels of control during endograft deployment compared to the original TX2 device with Cook Medical’s new Zenith® TX2™ TAA Endovascular Graft with Pro-Form™. Cook’s new TX2 Pro-Form endograft, which has now obtained FDA approval, utilizes an improved delivery system that allows for carefully controlled deployment of the endograft to help establish proximal conformity of the device to the aortic wall. This innovation in endovascular TAA repair was engineered especially for procedures in which endografts must be positioned in tight aortic arches that are notoriously difficult to seal properly.
I previously posted comments from a conversation with Bart Muhs MD regarding future iterations for the TEVAR space
Many earlier endografts were too rigid or possess sealing stents that lack the radial force to conform correctly to the inner curvature of tight aortic arches, preventing the graft from properly sealing off the aneurysm. Consequently, surgeons have historically been forced to remodel the arch with a balloon or use other aids to position the graft, in an effort to reduce the risk of continued bleeding into the aneurysm and possible rupture. As a result, these difficult repair procedures are often long and complex. The TX2 Pro-Form’s enhanced delivery system may mitigate the need for such additional measures.
Later this week Ill post comments from my conversation with Mr Ray Leonard, Global product manager of thoracic endografts.
The anatomic challenges of the tight aortic arch are felt to affect 25% of candidates for thoracic repair of aneurysms. The presence of the challenging anatomy may lead the surgeon to perform open aneurysm repair with the associated increase in morbidity and mortality. Or TEVAR may be performed if open surgery is not an option, resulting in a less durable and more uncertain long term result
Check back for part II on the topic of Zenith TX2 Pro-Form
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