Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Your Health

Getting the Therapy

Getting an Endovascular Stent Graft

Endovascular stent grafting is a less-invasive alternative to open surgical repair.

Factors Your Doctor May Consider

The procedure is not for everyone. Before recommending endovascular stent grafting for you, your doctor will take a number of factors into consideration, including your age, the size of your aneurysm and aorta, your medical history, and your health history.
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Surgery: What to Expect

Unless you are faced with a medical emergency, you will have time to learn about your surgery, what to expect, and how to prepare. Take an active role in learning about the procedure, so that when your doctor explains the surgery to you, you will already be somewhat familiar with the procedure.
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Next: Factors Your Doctor May Consider

Factors Your Doctor May Consider

Factors Your Doctor May Consider –Endovascular Stent Grafting

If you have been told by your doctor that you have an aneurysm in your thoracic aorta that needs repair, this is because your doctor may feel that the aneurysm is getting bigger and there is a risk of it rupturing.

A thoracic aneurysm is a ballooning of your aorta in the area of your chest

Currently, the standard treatment for a thoracic aortic aneurysm is open surgery. In this procedure, the section of the vessel where the aneurysm has formed is replaced with a synthetic graft.

An alternative to open surgery for thoracic aortic aneurysm repair is a minimally invasive procedure called endovascular stent grafting or endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Endovascular stent grafting is called a minimally invasive procedure, because, unlike open surgery, the stents used in endovascular stent grafting are designed to be placed inside the area of the thoracic aneurysm without removing part of the aorta. Furthermore, open surgery involves a long cut in your abdomen, whereas endovascular surgery requires only two small incisions in the area of your groin.

Are You a Candidate for Endovascular Stent Grafting?

You may be a candidate for endovascular stent grafting if you are:

18 years of age or older
Not pregnant
Healthy enough to undergo a 2- to 3-hour procedure
Able to attend regularly scheduled office visits with a doctor or radiologist following the procedure, including radiographic imaging studies to evaluate the status of the stent graft and thoracic aneurysm. This includes at least one visit annually for life.
Fully informed about the risks and benefits of the stent graft procedure as compared to open surgical repair

You may not be a good candidate if you have a very large thoracic aortic aneurysm, irregularly shaped thoracic aneurysms or blood vessels, or other conditions that your doctor may discuss with you.

Talk to Your Doctor

It is very important that you talk to your doctor about treatment alternatives for your thoracic aneurysm. Your doctor can provide details about the endovascular stent grafting procedure and whether or not it is right for you.

Surgery: What to Expect

Surgery: What to Expect –Endovascular Stent Grafting

Endovascular stent grafting is a surgical procedure done inside of your aorta using a thin tube called a catheter. Unlike open surgery, which involves a long cut in your abdomen, endovascular surgery requires only two small incisions in the area of your groin.

The surgery usually takes 2 to 3 hours to complete, which, in many cases, is much shorter than open surgical aneurysm repair.

The following information describes what you can expect at each stage of the endovascular stent graft procedure.

Before the Procedure

Prior to the procedure, a number of diagnostic tests will be performed. These diagnostic tests allow the doctor to visualise the thoracic aortic aneurysm and the surrounding area, and help the surgeon decide what type of stent graft is most appropriate for you. During this time, your doctor will discuss the surgery with you, and answer any questions you may have.

During the Procedure

Before the procedure begins, the area of your groin where the catheter and stent are introduced will be cleaned and shaved. Then you will receive either local anaesthesia, to numb the area of the surgery, or general anaesthesia to put you to sleep during the surgery.

The thoracic stent graft is placed inside the aneurysm to keep it from bursting.

After the anaesthesia has taken effect, your surgeon will make a small incision in both of your thighs. Using x-rays to see the exact location of the aneurysm, the surgeon will guide the delivery catheter through the large vessel in your thigh (iliac vessel) to the aneurysm site in your chest.

When the delivery catheter is properly positioned inside the thoracic aneurysm, the stent graft is slowly released from the delivery catheter into the blood vessel. When the stent graft comes into contact with blood, it expands to a preset size.

After the stent graft expands, the delivery catheter is withdrawn and removed, leaving the stent graft within the thoracic aorta. Depending on the shape and size of your aneurysm, additional stent grafts may be placed to ensure that the aneurysm is completely excluded from normal blood flow.

X-rays and ultrasound imaging help the doctor make sure that the stent graft is properly placed and occluding blood flow to your thoracic aneurysm.

After the Procedure

After surgery, you will be monitored carefully by experts on your surgical team. Your doctor may require you to lie flat for 4 to 6 hours to allow the leg wounds to begin healing. There may be some discomfort.

You may experience side effects such as swelling of the upper thigh, numbness of the legs, nausea, vomiting, leg pain or throbbing, malaise, lack of appetite, fever, and/or absence of bowel movement for 1 to 3 days. You can typically expect to stay in the hospital for 2 to 3 days.

Next: Living with a Stent

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.