Treating aneurysms at OU Physicians

 An OU Physicians surgeon has used a new technique to treat thoracic aortic aneurysm patients. The endovascular stent graft procedure is less invasive than other therapies.

In the procedure, used on patients for whom open-chest surgery would pose serious risks, the surgeon inserts a stent endoscopically from the leg or abdomen using X-rays as a guide. The stent reinforces the aortic walls and helps prevent rupture. The procedure is safer than thoracic surgery and allows patients to recuperate quicker.

“The stent graft is … deployed in the diseased segment of the aorta and ‘relines’ the aorta like a sleeve to divert blood flow away from the aneurysm,” according to the Cleveland Clinic Web site.

Blood passes through the graft without pushing on the aneurysm. Thoracic aortic aneurysms affect approximately 15,000 people in the United States annually.

Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer