Abstract
This study addresses the development of a new intraluminal aortic prosthesis (IA graft) and the evaluation of its efficacy in internal obliteration of experimental aortic dissection in acute phase-implantation. The newly devised IA graft is a self-expandable metallic stent (Gianturco stent) outer-jacketed with a thin open-cell structured microporous film made of segmental polyurethane (thickness; 0.2mm, pore size; 0.1mm). Experimental thoracic dissections were surgically created in four mongrel dogs. IA graft, inserted into the 12Fr Teflon catheter by compression, was implanted into the true lumen of descending aorta through a femoral artery. The IA graft was expanded by using pushing rod and stayed on the entry. Angiographic observation showed that all the entries were obliterated. Macroscopic observation showed that false lumens were partially clotted. A prototype device developed here may promise to offer an effective therapeutic procedure for obliteration of Stanford type B dissection with minimum invasion.
