Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42652699›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2026

Physician-Modified Cook Zenith Alpha Thoracic Endovascular Graft with Preservation of Active Fixation Barbs: A Step-by-Step Technical Guide.

Emiel W M Huistra, Wajdi Alrawi, Ignace F J Tielliu, Samuel Saers, Clark J Zeebregts, Robert C Lind

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Emiel W M HuistraDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6758-1933
Wajdi AlrawiDepartment of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Linköping University Hospital, 581 85 Linköping, Sweden.ORCID 0009-0004-0202-4118
Ignace F J TielliuDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Samuel SaersDepartment of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Linköping University Hospital, 581 85 Linköping, Sweden.ORCID 0009-0001-8578-6721
Clark J ZeebregtsDivision of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5011-4124
Robert C LindDepartment of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Linköping University Hospital, 581 85 Linköping, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Physician-modified endografts (PMEGs) represent an important treatment option for urgent and semi-urgent complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (cAAAs). The Zenith Alpha Thoracic Endovascular Graft (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA) is a common choice for PMEGs due to its low strut interference, albeit at the cost of requiring removal of the proximal fixation barbs for resheathing-a process that remains technically challenging. The current article details a step-by-step approach on how to modify an Alpha thoracic endograft without requiring removal of the proximal barbs. The Zenith Alpha Thoracic Endovascular Graft is fully unsheathed on a sterile back-table and completely detached from the delivery system by removing the blue rotational handle. The grey positioner is removed from the introducer sheath. Next, a 0.018-inch guidewire is introduced distally through the inner positioner and retrieved via the exposed grey handle to function as a trigger wire. Following the creation and reinforcement of the fenestrations, circular diameter-reducing ties are constructed and secured using an insertion tool. The endograft is placed back on the delivery system and the guidewire is passed through the endograft fabric at the distal end and through the insertion tool, which is then removed. At the proximal end, the trigger wire is again passed through the endograft fabric, and both the proximal bare alignment stent and the distal end of the endograft are secured to the delivery system using 2-0 Prolene sutures (Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ, USA). The endograft is subsequently resheathed through the distal end of the introducer sheath using a tourniquet-assisted resheathing technique and a cut-off tip from an introducer sheath to guide the endograft's passage through the valve. Using the current standardized modification protocol, a PMEG can be constructed using the Zenith Alpha Thoracic Endovascular Graft while preserving the active fixation barbs for the treatment of cAAAs.

Indexed as

active fixation barbscomplex abdominal aortic aneurysm keywordfenestrated endovascular aneurysm repairphysician-modified endograftPMEGZenith Alpha

Identifiers

PMID42652699
PMCPMC13513776

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.