Aortic Aneurysm Repair

The aorta is the main blood vessel coming out of the heart and supplies blood to the rest of the body. An aneurysm occurs when there is weakening of wall of the aorta. This causes a bulge or ballooning of aorta. The weakened area of the aorta can break open, causing sudden death. Not all aneurysms are life threatening, but the risk of one breaking open increases with the size of the aneurysm. Surgeons will recommend fixing an aneurysm at certain sizes depending on a patient’s risk factors and other medical problems. Although some families can have aneurysms that run in their family, most aortic aneurysms are related to aging and weakening of the aortic wall.

Repair of an aneurysm involves removal of the weakened blood vessel and replacement with a man made tube or “graft”. In some cases, patients may be candidates for minimally invasive repair of aneurysms using stents. This is done through the groins and depends on the location of the aneurysm within the aorta.