Self-occluding Candy-Plug: Implantation Technique to Obtain False Lumen Thrombosis in Chronic Aortic Dissections

To describe the implantation steps of the latest generation of candy-plug device (third CP generation [CP III]) and to illustrate its possible pitfalls by discussing a case in whom this device was employed to occlude the false lumen (FL) of a chronic type B aortic dissection.

A 69 year-old male patient who underwent a frozen elephant trunk arch repair due to residual type A aortic dissection developed a FL aneurysmal degeneration limited to the descending thoracic aorta. Two thoracic stent-grafts were deployed into the true lumen up to the celiac trunk origin. Then, the FL was occluded with a self-occluding CP III device (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Indiana), placed at the same level as the distal thoracic stent-graft. The distal un-stented sleeve was pushed upward to allow immediate occlusion of its central lumen, avoiding interference with reno-visceral arteries arising from the FL. Both intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography and follow-up computed tomographic angiography scan demonstrated complete FL thrombosis.

The introduction of CP III with its self-occluding mechanism helped to shorten and standardize the procedure. However, adjunctive steps may be needed to immediately obtain FL occlusion and avoid hampering the perfusion of vessels arising from the FL.