The Gore Viabahn balloon-expandable stent graft as a bridging stent in complex endovascular aortic procedures at 3 years performs better in fenestrations.

Objective: Complex endovascular procedures are now recognized as the gold standard treatments for extensive aortic diseases. Bridging stents (covered stents used to couple the aortic graft to the visceral vessels) play a pivotal role, yet there is currently no dedicated device available on the market. The aim of the study was to evaluate the midterm performance of the Gore Viabahn balloon-expandable (VBX) stent graft as a bridging stent for target visceral vessels (TVVs). Methods: Data from all consecutive patients who underwent a fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair and received the VBX stent graft as a bridging stent between July 2018 and September 2022 were prospectively collected and subsequently analyzed retrospectively. Primary end points included freedom from TVV instability and freedom from TVV-related reinterventions, both overall and in comparison between branched and fenestrated graft configurations. Secondary end points were overall survival, procedure and TVV-related (in an intent-to-treat basis) technical success, freedom from type IC/IIIC endoleak, and freedom from TVV patency loss. Results: Sixty-three patients were treated with a fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair using the VBX stent graft as a bridging stent, of whom 47 (74.6%) presented an atherosclerotic aneurysm, 7 (11.1%) a post-dissecative aneurysm, and 9 (14.3%) an anastomotic pseudoaneursym or a type IA endoleak in a previous endovascular aortic repair. Included in the aortic repair were 231 of 243 (95.1%) total visceral vessels. The intraoperative requirement of 13 additional VBX stent grafts determined a TVV-related technical success of 94.4%. The mean follow-up was 26.1 ± 16.4 months. The estimated overall survival at 36 months was 73% ± 7.5%. The estimated rates at 36 months for freedom from type IC/IIIC endoleaks and TVV primary patency were 90.6% ± 3.9% and 99% ± 0.7%, respectively. The estimated rate at 36 months for freedom from TVV instability was 92.1% ± 3% and did not differ between branched and fenestrated configurations, whereas freedom from TVV-related reinterventions was 90.6% ± 3.1% and significantly in favor of fenestrations (69.4% vs 96.8%, P < .001). Multivariate analyses confirmed fenestrated configuration as a protective factor against TVV-related reinterventions (hazard ratio: 0.079; 95% confidence interval: 0.016-0.403). Conclusions: The VBX stent graft proves to be a reliable bridging stent for complex aortic procedures involving both fenestrated and branched endografts. Although immediate results are deemed satisfactory, they favor fenestrations regarding the need of reinterventions through 3 years. The success of the procedure heavily relies on a thorough understanding of the unique characteristics of this stent.