Transapical thoracic endovascular aortic repair with a frozen elephant trunk for thoracic aortic aneurysm with shaggy aorta

Commentary: Not too long, but long enough?

“…The frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique has been widely accepted as an attractive adjunct to treat extended distal aortic arch/proximal descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. In this issue of the Journal , Wakabayashi and colleagues 1 report a very interesting case focusing on a technical aspect of transapical thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in a patient with a residual nondissecting distal aortic arch aneurysm along with extensive atherosclerosis. The initial procedure, which was performed before the current procedure, was open total aortic arch replacement using the FET technique, including debranching of all 3 arch vessels.…”

Commentary: “A bald approach for a shaggy situation”

“…In this issue of JTCVS Techniques , Wakabayashi and colleagues 1 describe a bailout technique using a trans-apical access combined with the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) deployment. This was done in a patient with previous aortic arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk creation that failed to provide adequate seal and exclusion of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm.…”