Physician modification of Gore C3 excluder endograft for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms anatomically unsuitable for conventional endovascular repair

Until recently, the Cook Zenith aortic endograft (Cook Medical Inc, Bloomington, Ind) was the only device used for physician-modified fenestration because its constraining wire allowed physicians to reconstrain the device after modifications. Although the Cook Zenith fenestrated endograft has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it is currently not available in the majority of the hospitals and is not applicable to the patients who need urgent or emergent aneurysm repair. With the redesign of the Gore C3 delivery system, the Gore Excluder aortic stent graft (W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc, Flagstaff, Ariz) can now also be reconstrained, which makes it suitable for physician-modified fenestration. We describe the technique for modification and implantation of the Gore Excluder aortic stent graft in a patient requiring 2-vessel bilateral renal artery fenestration. This application provides an additional option for treatment of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms who are anatomically unsuitable for conventional endovascular aneurysm repair and are at high risk for open repair.