Aortic Repair Surgery

When minimally invasive intervention methods for treating abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are no longer an option, a vascular care physician may recommend aortic repair surgery as the best course of treatment. Repair is typically performed when the AAA reaches five centimeters or larger, due to increasing risk of rupture.

How Aortic Repair Surgery Is Performed

A surgeon makes an incision in the abdomen near the abdominal aortic aneurysm. An artificial piece of blood vessel is used as a source for a new blood vessel. The artery may be repaired by patching the artificial blood vessel to the artery to reduce the risk of rupture. Alternatively, if the rupture is too large to repair, the artificial blood vessel is grafted to one end of the artery, beneath the aneurysm. The other end of the blood vessel is grafted above the aneurysm. The new vessel bypasses around the abdominal aortic aneurysm allowing blood to flow freely through the arteries and reach the heart.

Vascular Conditions Treated with Aortic Repair Surgery

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
• Peripheral Vascular Disease