Endologix Launches ALTO Abdominal Stent Graft System in Europe

Furthering its mission to transform the treatment of aortic disorders, Endologix LLC today announced the first implant of its ALTO Abdominal Stent Graft, commencing the European commercial release of the recently CE Mark-approved endograft.  
 
“We are pleased to expand the product launch to include Europe, making ALTO available to our physician partners and patients there as well as in the U.S.,” commented Prof. Matt Thompson, chief medical officer of Endologix. “ALTO offers a highly differentiated endovascular treatment option for AAA patients and includes design features that we believe will enhance ease-of-use, improve acute outcomes and preserve the long-term durability associated with patient-specific anatomically adaptive sealing.”  
 
The first case was performed at East & North Hertfordshire Hospital in Stevenage, England, by Matthew Metcalfe (consultant vascular surgeon) and Dr. Kate Steiner (consultant interventional radiologist). The ALTO device was specifically chosen for this patient because he felt the patient’s short, thrombus-lined conical aortic neck could only be treated using ALTO. 
 
“We are very excited to have access to the ALTO device given its unique approach to excluding the aneurysm using a custom sealing technology, and the higher sealing ring enabled me to land and seal in healthy aortic tissue, which should give this patient a good long-term durable outcome,” Metcalfe said. “Building off previous product generations, there have been a whole host of feature enhancements which we have been anticipating, such as ALTO’s 7mm neck requirement and 15F delivery system, which allow us to treat a diverse set of patient anatomies.”  
 
The commercial release of ALTO in Europe will be supported by a world-class team of sales representatives, clinical specialists and distributors, all focused on the collective objective of improving the health and lives of patients with aortic disorders through a steadfast commitment to delivering innovative and trusted endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) solutions. 
 
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) occur when a portion of the abdominal aorta bulges into an aneurysm because of a weakening of the vessel wall, which may result in life threatening internal bleeding upon rupture. The overall patient mortality rate for ruptured AAA is approximately 80 percent, making it among the leading causes of death in the United States.