Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Monday, March 25. 2002 

An abdominal aneurysm is like a ticking time bomb that could rupture at any moment. Today, Dr. Ken Davis tells us about a new type of surgery to repair this threat to life.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a weak area in the wall of the main artery in the abdomen. The pressure of blood flowing through the weakened artery causes it to balloon out. Most people don’t survive if it ruptures.

Until recently, the only way to repair an aneurysm had been to make a large incision in the abdomen, open the aneurysm and sew a graft in place. This required six to eight days in the hospital and four to six weeks of recovery.

While traditional surgery completely replaces the diseased portion of the blood vessel, a new procedure simply takes that portion of the blood vessel out of circulation. The surgeon makes two small incisions near the groin area and inserts a catheter into the femoral artery in the patient's upper thigh. Using special x-ray imaging, he guides a polyester graft through the aorta to the aneurysm. Once in place, the graft expands to fit the aorta, and the catheter is removed. Patients spend 24 to 72 hours in the hospital and can resume normal activities within about two weeks. For North Mississippi Health Services, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.

Although patients are evaluated for the grafts, not all patients are candidates. For more information, ask your doctor or visit www.wtva.com.