Ascending Aorta Endovascular Repair of a Symptomatic Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer with a Custom-Made Endograft.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become lately the procedure of choice in the treatment of most pathologies of descending thoracic aorta. Aortic arch aneurysms also came to be treated by TEVAR with various hybrid techniques or custom-made scalloped/fenestrated stent grafts. Zone 0; ascending TEVAR is more challenging than TEVAR of the descending thoracic aorta or aortic arch because of the more complex pathology, hemodynamics, and anatomy. Ascending TEVAR can be a lifesaving treatment in selected high surgical risk patients.

CASE REPORT: A 71-year-old male with known history of respiratory insufficiency, coronary artery disease, and low left ventricle ejection fraction, presented to emergency department with acute thoracic pain. As the initial laboratory tests and the electrocardiogram were negative for acute coronary syndrome, a computed tomography (CT) scan was performed that showed a 20 mm large and 17 mm depth penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU) in the middle portion of ascending thoracic aorta. After medical therapy administration, the thoracic pain was controlled, and due to the high surgical risk of the patient, high incidence of aortic rupture due to PAU, and favorable anatomic conditions was scheduled the implantation of a custom-made (due to short ascending aorta) stent graft (Bolton, Relay Plus). A pacemaker was implanted 1 week before the operation to induce rapid ventricular pacing during the stent-graft deployment. During the operation, the patient was under general anesthesia as it was our first case treated in this way. The delivery of the graft was achieved through a right femoral artery cut open by an extra-stiff guide wire (Lunderquist Cook) that was placed through an angio-catheter into the left ventricle of the heart. The final positioning and deployment of the graft was achieved under rapid ventricular pacing, and the final angiogram after the withdraw of the graft delivery system showed exclusion from circulation of PAU, patency of coronary arteries, and brachiocephalic trunk with competent aortic valve.

CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR of the ascending aorta is a safe and feasible technique indicated mainly unfit for open surgery patients.