Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is an open surgical procedure used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition where blood collects in the aorta near your stomach, causing the aorta to balloon. Aneurysms that get too big may rupture, a potentially fatal situation.
During abdominal aortic repair surgery, your doctor replaces the weakened aortic with a hollow man-made tube (a graft). The goal of placing the graft is to safely re-route blood past the aneurysm.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair can be done through open surgery or a less invasive endovascular procedure called Interventional Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair. Your surgeon will choose the best approach for you.
At St. Joseph's Heart & Vascular Institute, our expert cardiac surgeons develop personalized treatment plans for every patient.
During open surgery, a graft replaces the weakened section of aortic wall. Then the aortic wall is wrapped back around the graft. Once in surgery:
If your aneurysm is small, your doctor may recommend a "wait and watch" approach to monitor it. Larger aneurysms will require treatment to repair them so they don't rupture, a potentially life-threatening situation.
The type of repair approach your doctor recommends – open surgery or minimally invasive repair – depends on a number of factors, including:
An endovascular, or interventional, procedure may be preferred for older and higher-risk patients.