Two unique minimally invasive procedures on the aorta performed for the first time at Almazov Centre

On October 7, Almazov Centre surgeons for the first time performed endovascular surgery with implantation of fenestrated stent grafts in two patients with aortic arch and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The workshop was held at the Research Department for Vascular and Interventional Surgery headed by Dr. Mikhail Chernyavsky under the supervision of the invited expert – Professor Chang Shu, chief cardiovascular surgeon of China, head of Vascular Surgery Department at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases (Beijing, China).

The peculiar technique of the surgery involved the creation of fenestrations (holes in the stent graft) directly on the operating table followed by reloading of the stent graft into the delivery system. Under X-ray control, the devices were precisely positioned into the affected areas of the aorta, so that all aortic branches could remain passable. It is worth noting that both surgical procedures were performed without traumatic access and without a cardiopulmonary bypass.

The workshop brought together more than 30 cardiovascular and endovascular surgeons from the leading medical centres in our country. Doctors had the opportunity to attend the surgery and monitor its progress directly in the hybrid cath lab.

Also, the surgery was live broadcast to the lecture hall. The specialists who were not able to attend the event personally, could watch the process in real time on the Internet and ask questions in a special chat.

The introduction of this unique technique will reduce the intraoperative risks, the rate of complications and the rehabilitation time for patients with aortic arch aneurysms and thoracoabdominal aortic dissection.