Comprehensive Treatments for Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection
Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR)
Minimally invasive procedures such as endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), also called endografting or stent-grafts, generally result in less pain, fewer complications and faster recovery than open surgery. The procedure uses two small incisions to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Medical College of Wisconsin specialists are highly skilled in endovascular grafting procedures.
During EVAR, physicians make small incisions in the groin area. Guided by x-ray-like imaging and using special endovascular instruments, physicians advance the stent-graft through a catheter to the location of the aneurysm. The synthetic graft is custom-sized for each patient based on measurements previously collected from a CT scan. The graft is released from inside the aorta and it expands to line the wall of the aorta. The stent-graft acts as an interior “sleeve,” allowing blood to safely flow through a weak area. It stops direct pressure from being exerted on the weak aortic wall.
Date: April 9, 2012 Online Editor(s): Kathryn Adam |