Journal of vascular surgery
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms: results of the phase II multicenter trial of the GORE TAG thoracic endoprosthesis.
A decade after the first report of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTA) repair with endografts, a commercial device is yet to be approved in the United States. The GORE TAG endoprosthesis, an investigational nitinol-supported expanded polytetrafluoroethylene tube graft with diameters of 26 to 40 mm, is the first DTA device to enter phase II trials in the United States and has been used worldwide for a host of thoracic pathologies. ⋯ The GORE TAG thoracic endoprosthesis provides a safe alternative for the treatment of DTAs, with low mortality, relatively low morbidity, and excellent 2-year freedom from aneurysm-related death. Longitudinal spine fractures have so far been associated with rare clinical events.