A telescopic stent-graft for aortoiliac implantation

OBJECTIVES: To test a new delivery system for a telescopic stent-graft. MATERIALS: Variable overlap between the components of this stent-graft combination allows length adjustment. This device differs from other multi-component stent-grafts in that both components are contained within a single delivery system. METHODS: The stent-graft was implanted in the distal thoracic to suprarenal aorta of five pigs (35-50 kg), where the arterial diameter falls by almost 50%. The proximal and distal components of the stent-graft were targeted to bony landmarks in the vertebral column. RESULTS: Inspection of completion angiograms showed both proximal and distal stent-grafts to be within 1 mm of their target locations in all five experiments. Overall combined stent-graft length varied from 13.5 cm to 16.1 cm depending on the location of the bony landmark chosen as the distal target, and on the size of the pig. CONCLUSIONS: This system may be useful for the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm whenever preoperative sizing is difficult due to aortic tortuosity, or precluded due to the urgency of the procedure.