Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is the ballooning of the aorta (the aorta is the main blood vessel coming from the heart that supplies blood to all organs). Aneurysms may occur in any blood vessel in the body, but the most common place is in the abdomen below the renal arteries. Aneurysms may continue to grow larger until like a balloon, it can then burst or rupture. Aneurysm ruptures can be a life-threatening event. The goal of all aneurysm treatment is to prevent the aorta from rupturing.

Diagnosis: Routine physical examination of abdomen
Abdominal ultrasound
Abdominal CT (computerized tomography) scan
Treatment:
Observation - Asymptomatic small aneurysms less than 5 cm may safely be observed
Open surgery: This is a trad-itional surgical procedure with an incision made on the abdomen. Hospital stay is 5-8 days.
Endovascular: This is new minimally invasive endovascular procedure. Most of the time aneurysm is repaired by stent graft through two small groin incisions under regional anesthesia. Patient generally goes home in 24-48 hours.

AAA repair by Endograft. 18 hrs. post procedure Patient is reading menu for ordering lunch

Patient with a large abominal aortic aneurysm was treated by minimally invasive procedure using endograft and stent. Patient went home in 24 hours.