Technical and Clinical Outcome of Talent versus Endurant Endografts for Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair

The technical evolution of endografts for the interventional management of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has allowed a continuous expansion of indications. This study compares the established Talent endograft with its successor, the Endurant endograft, taking individual aortoiliac anatomy into account.From June 2007 to December 2010, 35 patients with AAA were treated with a Talent endograft (33 men) and 36 patients with an Endurant endograft (34 men). Aortoiliac anatomy was evaluated in detail using preinterventional computed tomography angiography. The 30-day outcome of both groups were compared regarding technical and clinical success as well as complications including endoleaks.The Endurant group included more patients with unfavorable anatomy (kinking of pelvic arteries, p = 0.017; shorter proximal neck, p = 0.084). Primary technical success was 91.4% in the Talent group and 100% in the Endurant group (p = 0.115). Type 1 endoleaks occurred in 5.7% of patients in the Talent group and in 2.8% of those in the Endurant group (p = 0.614). Type 3 endoleaks only occurred in the Talent group (2.9% of patients; p = 0.493). Type 2 endoleaks were significantly less common in the Endurant group than in the Talent group (8.3% versus 28.6%; p = 0.035). Rates of major and minor complications were not significantly different between both groups. Primary clinical success was significantly better in the Endurant group (97.2%) than in the Talent group (80.0%) (p = 0.028).Endurant endografts appear to have better technical and clinical outcome in patients with difficult aortoiliac anatomy, significantly reducing the occurrence of type 2 endoleaks

Strong and tuneable wet adhesion with rationally designed layer-by-layer assembled triblock copolymer films

In this study the wet adhesion between Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembled films of triblock copolymer micelles was investigated. Through the LbL assembly of triblock copolymer micelles with hydrophobic, low glass transition temperature (Tg) middle blocks and ionic outer blocks, a network of energy dissipating polymer chains with electrostatic interactions serving as crosslinks can be built. Four triblock copolymers were synthesized through Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation (ATRP). One pair had a poly(2-ethyl-hexyl methacrylate) middle block with cationic or anionic outer blocks. The other pair contained the same ionic outer blocks but poly(n-butyl methacrylate) as the middle block. The wet adhesion was evaluated with colloidal probe AFM. To our knowledge, wet adhesion of the magnitude measured in this study has not previously been measured on any polymer system with this technique. We are convinced that this type of block copolymer system grants the ability to control the geometry and adhesive strength in a number of nano- and macroscale applications

The Interaction of 1,1‘-Diisocyanoferrocene with Gold: Formation of Monolayers and Supramolecular Polymerization of an Aurophilic Ferrocenophane

The coordination chemistry of 1,1‘-diisocyanoferrocene (1) was investigated. Its reaction with Cr(CO)5(THF) (2 equiv) affords (1)[Cr(CO)5]2, which exhibits eclipsed cyclopentadienyl rings with a synclinal arrangement of the two substituents. 1 behaves like an aryl isocyanide in this compound according to IR spectroscopic data, and its oxidation leads to a marked decrease of net electron donor ability. The reaction of 1 with AuCl(SMe2) affords the insoluble coordination polymer [(1)(AuCl)2]∞. The (1)(AuCl)2 molecules adopt a 3,4-diaura-[6]ferrocenophane structure. They are aggregated in a zipperlike fashion through aurophilic interactions, with Au−Au distances ranging from 3.34 to 3.48 Å. The adsorption of 1 from acetonitrile solution on polycrystalline gold affords a self-assembled monolayer. Both isocyanide groups are binding to the surface

Morphologic criteria for evaluating aortoiliac anatomy.

<p>Morphologic criteria for evaluating aortoiliac anatomy.</p

CTA of an infrarenal AAA in a 74-year-old patient. A,

<p>VR of the long aneurysm with a short proximal neck. The aneurysm involves the aortic bifurcation, and there is marked angulation of the infrarenal portion (arrow indicates the left renal artery). Both common iliac arteries are markedly elongated. <b>B,</b> Lateral VR more clearly showing the elongation of the left common iliac artery and also severe kinking (arrowhead) at its origin as well as marked infrarenal angulation of the proximal neck (arrow indicates the left renal artery). <b>C,</b> Postinterventional VR indicating successful implantation of an Endurant stent graft and exclusion of AAA (arrow indicates the left renal artery).</p

Classification of endoleaks^*.

*<p>modified according to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0038468#pone.0038468-Chaikof1" target="_blank">[11]</a>.</p

Outcome at 30-day follow-up in the Talent versus Endurant group.

*<p>Classified as clinical failure. ^† Small embolic renal infarction at lower pole after the intervention without clinically relevant impairment of renal function.</p

CTA of a large infrarenal AAA in a 79-year-old patient.

<p><b>A,</b> Volume reconstruction (VR) of CTA with moderate calcification within the aneurysm sac and both common iliac arteries. <b>B,</b> VR performed 12 days after implantation of a Talent stent graft. <b>C,</b> Venous phase CTA reveals a type 2 endoleak (asterisk) posterior of the stent graft limb and a perfused lumbar artery on the left (arrow). <b>D,</b> More inferiorly, the site of entry of the lumbar artery into the aneurysm sac is seen (arrow).</p

Basic data of study patients.

<p><i>PAOD</i> Peripheral artery occlusive disease.</p