Aortic aneurysm repair - endovascular
Alternate Names : EVAR, Endovascular aneurysm repair - aorta, AAA repair - endovascular, Repair - aortic aneurysm - endovascular
Definition
Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is surgery to fix a widened part (or aneurysm) in your aorta, the large artery that carries blood to your belly, pelvis, and legs. An aortic aneurysm is when a part of this artery becomes too large, or balloons outward, due to weakness in the wall of the artery.
Overview & Description
You will lie down on a padded table in an operating room, in the radiology department of the hospital, or in a catheterization lab. You may receive general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) or epidural or spinal anesthesia. - Your doctor will make a small incision (cut) near the groin, to find the femoral artery. Then your doctor will insert a stent (a metal coil) and a manmade (synthetic) graft through the cut into the artery.
- The doctor uses x-rays to guide the stent graft up into your aorta, to where the aneurysm is located. The doctor will open the stent using a spring-like mechanism and attach it to the walls of the aorta. Your aneurysm will eventually shrink around it.
- The doctor will then use x-rays again to make sure the stent is in the right place and your aneurysm is not bleeding inside your body.
Why the Procedure Is Performed
If you have bleeding inside your body from an aortic aneurysm, you will have open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Endovascular repair is rarely done for a leaking or bleeding aneurysm. You may have an abdominal aortic aneurysm that is not causing any symptoms or problems. Your doctor may have found out about this problem from special tests called an ultrasound or CT scan. There is a risk that this aneurysm may open up (rupture) if you do not have surgery to repair it. However, surgery to repair the aneurysm may also be risky. You and your doctor must decide whether the risk of having this surgery is smaller than the risk of bleeding if you do not have surgery to repair the problem. The doctor is more likely to recommend you have surgery if the aneurysm is: - Larger (about 2 inches)
- Growing more quickly (a little less than 1/4 inch over the last 6 to 12 months)
Endovascular repair has a lower risk of complications around the time of the surgery. Your doctor is more likely to suggest this surgery if you have other more serious medical problems or if you are elderly.
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