|
Aortic Aneurysm Repair (AAA Repair)
Aortic aneurysms can occur as a result of atherosclerotic disease, infection,
degenerative change or an inherited condition such as Marfan's Syndrome.
These abnormal dilations or enlargement in the wall of the aorta (the
main blood vessel leading away from the heart) are progressive and develop
the risk of rupture over time. Treatment involves aggressive control
of hypertension and eventual surgical management with graft replacement
or repair.
An aortic aneurysm usually occurs in the abdominal area below the kidneys
(abdominal aortic aneurysm or AAA), but may also occur in the chest cavity
(thoracic aortic aneurysm -TAA). [Aneurysms also occur in other arteries throughout
the body.]
An aneurysm can be detected by x-ray or by imaging techniques such as an M.R.I.
(magnetic resonance imaging), echocardiography, or a computed tomography (C.T.)
scan. A common symptom of aneurysm is pain in the area where it is located,
or it may be small and not cause symptoms. The larger the aneurysm becomes,
the more likely it is to be symptomatic and the more likely to rupture-although
an aneurysm large enough to be dangerous does not always cause obvious symptoms.
The highly successful treatment is surgery, during which a patch of artificial
material or piece of blood vessel is sewn at the site of the aneurysm to reinforce
the aortic wall.
Endovascular stent grafting is frequently applied to the repair of many abdominal
and thoracic aortic aneurysms using commercially availible systems from Guidant,
Gore and Medtronic corporations. These procedures allow the aneurysm sac to
be decompressed by passing one or more grafts from the groin into the aneurysm
with greatly shorter recovery times and results which are comparable to open
repair.
|
