Abdominal Aneurysm Repair
Endovascular Stent Graft Repair
In the last 10 years, a new procedure called an endovascular stent graft has
demonstrated increasing success in the treatment of abdominal aneurysms. This
is an alternative to open surgical repair and requires only two small incisions
in the artery in your groin. Patients are typically discharged after one to
three days, with minimal recovery.
Endovascular means that the treatment is performed inside your body using long
thin tubes called catheters that are advanced through your blood vessels.
During the procedure, live X-ray pictures are obtained on a video screen to
guide the placement of the stent and the catheters into the aneurysm site. The
stent graft is a strong fabric material wrapped around a metal tube and is
shaped like a cylinder. This is also called a graft, and it is placed into the
site of the aneurysm. Like the graft used for open aneurysm surgery, the
endovascular stent graft also strengthens the aorta and blood flows inside the
stent graft and not in the aneurysm.
While this procedure has some significantly decreased risks of bleeding,
infection, heart attack and death, it does require periodic ultrasound and
X-ray follow-up to insure that there is no ongoing flow into the aneurysm. In
addition, you may not be suitable to have this procedure since all patients are
not candidates for endovascular repair. This is based on the anatomy of the
aneurysm in relation to other arteries and is related to the size of the
arteries in your abdomen.
Surgical Aneurysm Repair
Open surgical aneurysm repair has been the standard for more than 50 years.
During an open aneurysm repair, a long incision is made in your abdomen and the
aneurysm is replaced by a tube-like graft. This graft is made of man-made
material, such as plastic, and is the size and shape of your normal healthy
aorta. The tube strengthens your aorta and allows blood to pass easily through
it.
Following this surgery, you may stay in the hospital for five to 10 days and may
require six to 12 weeks for complete recovery. More than 95 percent of open
aneurysm repairs are successful for the long-term.
For more information, please call Savannah
Vascular Institute at 912-350-VEIN (8346) or 1-866-359-VEIN (8346).
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