A new treatment method

Endovascular - inside or within a blood vessel - repair is being studied as an alternative to open surgical repair. Instead of making a large incision in the chest, the doctor makes a small incision near the hip to access the blood vessels in the leg through which a medical device is positioned inside the aorta.

The STABLE™ Clinical Trial (Study for Thoracic Aortic Type B Dissection Using the Zenith® Dissection Endovascular System) is being conducted at sites across the country to determine the benefits of using a graft and metal stent to treat thoracic aortic dissections in the descending aorta. The graft is sized to cover the tear in the aorta and restore blood flow to its normal path. Below the endovascular stent graft, a bare metal stent (or stents) is positioned to reinforce and hold the layers of the aorta together while keeping open blood flow to the arteries that branch off of it. The stent is inserted while collapsed, and once in position, it expands out to the vessel wall for support. The two pieces work in combination to seal the tear, prevent blood leakage and reinforce the wall of the aorta. The global principal investigator of the STABLE Clinical Trial is Joseph V. Lombardi, MD, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia.

Benefits

The primary benefit of endovascular repair using a stent graft and stent is avoiding open surgery. Other potential benefits include reduced recovery time as the endovascular repair is performed by making a small incision near the hip and inserting the devices via the arteries. Patients who undergo endovascular repair will have a smaller incision and may have shorter hospitalization and shorter recovery time. The stent graft and stent will remain in place permanently.

The Zenith® Dissection Endovascular System consists of the Zenith TX2® Endovascular Graft and the Zenith Dissection Stent which are combined to seal off the entry tear of a thoracic aortic dissection, hold the layers together and keep open blood flow to the arteries that branch out.

Click here to view an animation of a endovascular repair, or use the links below for specific media player files.