Mid-term results of a multicenter study of thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair versus open repair.

Three thoracic endograft devices have concluded their phase II trials for release in the United States. The Gore TAG endoprosthesis (W. L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) was the first to enter clinical trials for the treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms, confirming its safety and efficacy as well as its short-term advantages over open surgical repair. In March 2005, it became the first endograft to gain United States Food and Drug Administration approval for general use. Follow-up in the Gore TAG pivotal trial demonstrates that aneurysm-related mortality is improved compared with open surgical repair, with similar overall mortality and reintervention rates.