Endovascular repair of the half aortic arch in pigs with an improved, single-branched stent graft system for the brachiocephalic trunk.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of endovascular repair of half of the aortic arch in pigs using an improved, integrated, single-branched stent graft for the ascending aorta and brachiocephalic trunk (BCT). We designed an improved stent graft in an integrated fashion and deployed the stent grafts into the ascending aortas and BCT of eight pigs. The feasibility of the stent graft deployments was evaluated three months after the procedures using arteriography, computed tomography angiography (CTA) and animal autopsy. The stent grafts were successfully deployed in eight pigs. All animals survived for at least three months. Arteriography, CTA and animal necropsy revealed good stent fixation in eight cases. Their head CT scans found no evidence of cerebral infarction. In conclusion, endovascular repair of the half aortic arch with the integrated single-branched stent graft system appears to be safe and feasible in pigs.