Preface—frozen elephant trunk

How the elephant got its trunk.

Finger-Thumb Technique for Elephant Trunk Retrieval.

In this report we present a brief video illustrating the "Finger-Thumb Technique" that we have used extensively at our institution for elephant trunk retrieval during second stage elephant trunk procedures. Although only safe in experienced hands, this technique is a viable option in the arsenal of a cardiothoracic surgeon, especially in cases when proximally surrounding a massively enlarged ao...

Vegetation attached to the elephant trunk.

The elephant trunk technique is used as a standard method in the approach to staged repair of extensive thoracic aneurysms. Here, we present a rare case of a graft infection, in which vegetation was attached to the distal end of the elephant trunk. A 36-year old male who had undergone total arch replacement with elephant trunk installation for type A aortic dissection was readmitted for high-gr...

Frozen elephant trunk surgery-the Bologna's experience.

BACKGROUND Different approaches are available to treat patients with complex and extensive diseases of the thoracic aorta. This study aims to report and comment on our experience with the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique. METHODS Between January 2007 and July 2012, 122 patients (male: 86.9%; mean age: 61 years) underwent extensive thoracic aorta surgery using the FET approach with an E-v...

Concomitant frozen elephant trunk procedure and pulmonary embolectomy.

The antegrade stented (frozen) elephant trunk procedure and pulmonary embolectomy are complex cardiac surgical operations for extensive aortic and pulmonary arterial disease, respectively. We report the first known case of concomitant antegrade stented elephant trunk and pulmonary embolectomy in order to highlight pre- and intra-operative management strategies for this uncommon disease combinat...