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Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center An aortic aneurysm indicates weakness in the aorta, the largest artery in the human body. The more the artery expands, the weaker the blood vessel walls become. Each year 15,000 Americans die due to ruptures of these aneurysms, often without ever having symptoms. Another 100,000 are diagnosed before rupture, typically as the result of an incidental imaging procedure. The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and thoracoabdominal aneurysm (TAA) has increased substantially in recent decades; surgery is the only effective treatment. The surgeons at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center are world leaders in the reconstruction of aortic aneurysms. Their innovative techniques have resulted in critical advancements in the repair of these ballooning blood vessels – preventing rupture and significantly improving outcomes. Traditional surgery to repair the artery was done in stages, requiring multiple procedures. Thanks to innovative techniques developed by surgeons at the Heart & Vascular Institute-TMC and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, the repair can now be completed with minimally invasive surgical techniques which means patients have lower morbidity rates, shorter recovery times and can usually resume normal activity a week after surgery. No one in the world is more experienced in this life-saving technique than the team at Memorial Hermann. Treatments Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm Repair (TAA) Aneurysms that involve the thoracic and abdominal aorta are called thoracoabdominal aneurysms. During open aneurysm repair, your surgeon makes an incision in your chest and replaces the weakened portion of your aorta with a fabric tube, called a graft. The graft is stronger than the weakened aorta and allows blood to pass through it without causing a bulge. A catheter, inserted at the start of the procedure to drain spinal fluid, relieves pressure created during surgery and reduces the risk of postsurgical paralysis. TAA repair is a very complex procedure and requires a team of highly skilled and experienced surgeons. Surgical methods used by the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-TMC team have resulted in a significant reduction of the risks commonly associated with this procedure. Since 1992, incidence of paralysis has decreased from 15 percent to less than 3 percent. Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) A minimally invasive alternative to open surgical repair of diseases of the thoracic aorta, TEVAR is most commonly used to correct thoracic aneurysmal disease. Using the TEVAR procedure, the vascular surgeon inserts an endograft into the aneurysm as a replacement for the diseased segment of the aorta. Patients benefit from reduced mortality and morbidity, shorter hospitalizations and more rapid recovery. Endovascular Abdominal Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) The minimally invasive endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedure involves making small incisions in the groin and threading catheter tubes through the femoral arteries and into the aorta. A fabric covered metal stent is introduced through the artery and fixed in place, relieving pressure on the artery to prevent rupture. Patients remain conscious under local anesthesia during the procedure. Patients who undergo EVAR have lower morbidity rates and shorter recovery times and can usually resume normal activity a week after surgery.
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