Benefits and Risks — Endovascular Stent Grafting Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA)

Overview

There are risks with any type of surgery. The benefits and safety of any surgical procedure must be carefully evaluated. Ask your doctor how these potential benefits and risks may affect you.

Benefits

Endovascular stent graft therapy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure. It is called minimally invasive, because with endovascular stent graft therapy it is not necessary to perform open-chest surgery or remove part of your aorta.

For some patients, this reduces the recovery time by several days. In many cases, patients can return home and return to normal activities within 4 to 6 weeks.

Risks

Endovascular stent grafting is minimally invasive. However, there is a small, but significant, risk of aneurysm rupture with endovascular stent grafting that is slightly higher than that of open-chest aortic aneurysm repair.

Other complications with endovascular stent grafting include:

• Blood leakages around the stent graft
• Blockage of the flow of blood through the stent graft
• Movement of the stent graft from its original site of placement
• Fracture of the stent graft
• Infection
• Rupture of the aneurysm or aorta

To monitor these possible complications, your doctor will ask you to schedule periodic visits after the procedure. It is important to keep these appointments to make sure your stent graft is working correctly.

Endovascular Stent Grafting Is Not for Everyone

Your aneurysm may not have the right shape, or it may be too close to other organs. Your doctor or vascular surgeon will help you decide whether endovascular stent grafting or open surgery is the best treatment option for you.