The current status of endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TEVAR)

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been one of the most important advances in the management of thoracic aortic disease in the past two decades. The procedure was originally developed by Dake and colleagues in 1994 for the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTAA), using the same principles as EVAR for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The first device approved for this indication was the TAG device (W.L. Gore & Associated, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ) in 2005. Since then there has been a plethora of changes and new developments related to thoracic endovascular aortic repair. This article will summarize the major updates related to TEVAR, focusing on three main aspects: what is new in device technology and future prospects; the expanding indications of TEVAR for the treatment of other pathologies and the newly developed techniques involved; and a glimpse at the expected future direction in the field.