Who is a candidate for endovascular repair of a thoracic aneurysm?
You may be eligible for endovascular stent grafting if your thoracic aneurysm has not ruptured and the aneurysm is 5 centimeters or more in size. Your physician can determine if aortic aneurysm repair is the best treatment by performing one or a combination of imaging studies, which may include: • High resolution, computed tomography (CT) scan • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) • Angiography (an x-ray of the blood vessels) • Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), to record ultrasound images of your heart from inside your esophagus, or food pipe • Intravascular ultrasound Physical characteristics of the aorta and the aortic aneurysm itself are very important in determining if endovascular aorta repair is the best treatment. What happens during endovascular stent grafting? Your surgeon will make small incisions in the skin above the femoral artery (the large artery that supplies blood to each leg) in the groin. A guide wire is threaded through the artery beyond the area of the thoracic
