# An Initial Single-Center European Experience with the Gore Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis

## TL;DR

This paper reports on the successful use of a new thoracic aortic stent graft in European patients with aortic arch and descending aorta conditions.

## Contribution

The study presents the largest European case series to date using the Gore Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis for aortic arch and descending pathology.

## Key findings

- Twenty patients successfully received the thoracic branched endoprosthesis for various aortic conditions.
- All implanted devices were in the correct position with patent branches confirmed by CT-A scans.
- There was no in-hospital or 30-day mortality, though two patients died unexpectedly after six weeks.

## Abstract

To report an initial experience with a novel off-the-shelf single branched thoracic aortic stent graft preserving various aortic arch vessels.

Our study is a retrospective cohort analysis of the largest European case series to date. We treated twenty patients for various aortic arch and descending pathology in the year 2024 and 2025.

Twenty patients underwent successful implantation of the thoracic branched endoprosthesis (TBE) in the aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta. The sidebranch was applied to preserve the left subclavian artery in 17 patients, the innominate artery in two and the left carotid artery in one patient. Patients were treated for saccular arch aneurysms, chronic type B dissections with progressive dilatation, type 1a endoleaks after TEVAR, degenerative thoracic aneurysms, localized type A dissections or a first stage Crawford type II thoraco-abdominal aneurysm repair followed by a subsequent visceral branched endoprosthesis. The median follow-up period was six (1-12) months and technical results were satisfying. All TBE stentgrafts were implanted in the desired position with a patent branch on computed tomography angiography (CT-A) scan six weeks postoperatively. There was no in-hospital or 30-day mortality. Unfortunately, two patients suddenly died seven and eight weeks postoperatively of unknown causes. CT-A scan at six weeks showed no abnormalities concerning the aorta or TBE in both patients.

The present study demonstrates satisfying technical results with the GORE TBE which was successfully implanted for multiple indications of aortic arch or descending pathology. Longer follow-up and larger series are needed for verification.

The introduction of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has changed clinical practice dramatically.