W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. has launched lower profile contralateral leg components for the Gore Excluder AAA endoprosthesis used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The reduced profile sizes reportedly allow the 12-20 mm contralateral leg component to be used with a 12 Fr Gore DrySeal sheath, the 23 mm to be used with a 14 Fr introducer sheath, and the 27 mm to be used with a 15 Fr introducer sheath. These contralateral leg components continue the series of low profile Gore Excluder devices in the pipeline for this year which also include the lower profile, 31 mm diameter trunk-ipsilateral (located on the same side of the body) leg and 32 mm aortic extender components, and the new 18 Fr compatible 35 mm trunk-ipsilateral leg and 36 mm aortic extender components announced in January.

The Gore Excluder AAA endoprosthesis is an endovascular stent-graft that seals off the aneurysm and creates a new path for blood flow. The device is inserted through a small incision in the patient’s leg using a catheter-based delivery technique. Once the physician has positioned the graft in the diseased aorta, the Gore C3 delivery system uniquely and intuitively enables repositioning of the stent-graft. The ability to reposition the device may minimize complications that could occur if the graft needs to be moved after the initial deployment.

No changes have been made to the Gore Excluder device. Instead, the company implemented a process using ePTFE (Gore’s brand of polytetrafluoroethylene, a synthetic fluoropolymer) materials to constrain the device onto the catheter. The new reduced profile 31 mm and 35 mm trunk-ipsilateral leg components will only be available with the Gore C3 delivery system.

“The reduced profile components provide physicians with a proven and durable endovascular option to better treat abdominal aortic aneurysms,” said Ross Milner, M.D., associate professor of surgery, co-director at the Center for Aortic Diseases, and associate program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “Reducing the access requirements allows more patients to benefit from endovascular treatment, a critical development as minimally invasive AAA repair becomes the preferred method of treatment.”

“The new reduced profile sizing options for the Gore Excluder Device offer physicians a wider range of components that will allow them to provide the best possible patient care,” said Ryan Takeuchi, leader of Gore’s aortic business. “All of our product enhancements are driven by Gore’s commitment to delivering innovation by design as reflected in our roll-out of additional lower profile configurations throughout the year.”

The Gore Medical Products Division makes vascular grafts, endovascular and interventional devices, surgical meshes for hernia repair, soft tissue reconstruction, staple line reinforcement and sutures for use in vascular, cardiac, and general surgery. W.L. Gore & Associates is based in Newark, N.J., and Gore Medical Products is based in Flagstaff, Ariz.

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