The frozen elephant trunk: an interesting hybrid endovascular-surgical technique to treat complex pathologies of the thoracic aorta

J Vasc Surg. 2007 Mar;45(3):597-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2006.10.038.

Abstract

The treatment of complex aortic pathologies involving the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending aorta remains a challenging issue in aortic surgery. The frozen elephant trunk procedure effectively combines surgical and interventional technologies in the treatment of extensive aortic aneurysms and dissections. We present two patients with complex aortic lesions involving all three segments of the thoracic aorta. The device used in our series is the new E-vita open hybrid prosthesis consisting of a proximal woven polyester tube and a distal self-expandable nitinol stent graft, which can be delivered antegrade into the descending aorta.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Alloys
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / diagnostic imaging
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / surgery*
  • Aortic Dissection / diagnostic imaging
  • Aortic Dissection / surgery*
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Polyethylene Terephthalates
  • Prosthesis Design
  • Stents*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Alloys
  • Polyethylene Terephthalates
  • nitinol