Tandil, Argentina—The first implantation of the Castor® Branched Aortic Stent-Graft System (“Castor™”) developed by Shanghai MicroPort Endovascular MedTech Co., Ltd. (“Endovastec™”), was completed in Argentina, marking the product’s presence in the third overseas market after Poland and Spain, and the first one in South America.

The implantation of the Castor™ Stent in Argentina was performed by a team led by Drs. Marcelo Brizio and Alejandro Cuacci of the Clínica Nueva Chacabuco de Tandi Hospital in Argentina. The patient is a 61-year-old male admitted with sudden retrosternal pain and an underlying condition of hypertension. On preoperative evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with type B aortic dissection with a large false lumen. There were multiple tears in his aortic dissection, with the celiac trunk, superior mesentery, and both kidneys supplying both true and false lumens. Bilateral access was narrow, with the narrowest segment of the left access being 5.4 mm. The patient had an acute onset of symptoms and needed to be treated as soon as possible.

Following thorough discussions, the surgical team selected the Castor™ Stent in combination with the Endovastec®’s Hercules™ Low Profile Tubular Stent-Graft System ("Hercules™-LP Stent") for the endoluminal repair. The procedure was performed by reconstructing the left subclavian artery (LSA) with the Castor™ Stent to seal the primary tears. The Hercules®-LP Stent was used to seal the secondary tears and open the distal true lumen to restore blood flow to the true lumen. Postoperative imaging showed that the stent-graft was precisely positioned and the blood flow in LSA was restored. The triple-miniband structure at the proximal end of the Castor™ Stent sealed effectively without any endoleak. The dissection tears were effectively isolated, and the access to the true lumen of the distal descending aorta was opened which ensured adequate blood supply in the true lumen. 

According to the team of experts, the innovative unibody design of Castor™ Stent addresses the challenge of LSA reconstruction. The surgical team gave full approval to the postoperative efficacy.