An experimental study of type I endoleak repair with a suturing device.
OBJECTIVE
An experimental study was done to investigate repair of type I endoleaks in thoracic aortic aneurysms using the T-Fix suturing device (Smith & Nephew Co, Ltd, London, United Kingdom).


METHODS
A saccular descending aortic aneurysm was made in 5 pigs experimentally. A stent graft was deployed to produce a proximal type I endoleak. Under fluoroscopy, the aorta was punctured with the spinal needle with the T-Fix plastic bar, and the plastic bar was deployed with a push rod. A sufficient number of T-Fix sutures were used until angiography revealed that the type I endoleak had disappeared.


RESULTS
No hemodynamic events occurred during the procedure. An average of 2.5 +/- 0.6 T-Fix sutures were required to eliminate the endoleak. The experimental T-Fix repair was performed without any complications. A new method of repairing type I endoleaks for thoracic aortic aneurysms was successfully performed using the T-Fix system.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the T-Fix repair currently has some anatomic and clinical limitations, improvement of the device should lead to the increased use of this repair.
Ohtake
Hiroshi
H
Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan. ohtake@med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Tomita
Shigeyuki
S
Yamaguchi
Shoujirou
S
Yoshida
Shuhei
S
Kimura
Keiichi
K
Sanada
Junichirou
J
Matsui
Osamu
O
Watanabe
Go
G
D000792:Angiography; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013552:Swine