Background-To

Minimally invasive transthoracic device closure of VSD with an asymmetric or symmetric domestically made device on a beating heart is a safe and feasible alternative to conventional surgical repair. More experience in multicenter and long-term follow-up is necessary to assess the actual feasibility and safety of this procedure.

Extensive thoracic aorta repair of acute type I aortic dissection can be performed simply by combining ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement with modified triple-branched stent graft implantation. This technique can reduce the risk and technical difficulty of extensive thoracic aorta repair to levels close to those seen with ascending aorta and hemiarch graft replacement with open distal anastomosis.