Overview
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.
In many cases, the surgery 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 visualize 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 anesthesia, to numb the area of the surgery, or general anesthesia to put you to sleep during the surgery.
Detail - The thoracic stent graft is placed inside the aneurysm to keep it from bursting.
After the anesthesia 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After the stent graft expands, the delivery catheter is withdrawn and removed, leaving the stent graft within the thoracic aorta.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.
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