If a thoracic aortic aneurysm meets certain parameters, surgeons perform minimally invasive endovascular stent graft repair, delivering a graft to replace the weakened portion of the aorta using a catheter (thin, flexible tube) inserted through a small incision in the groin. The hospital stay is often only one or two days, with most patients returning to work and normal daily activities in about a week.
For those cases in which endovascular repair is not appropriate, the traditional open procedure will be performed. With both methods, long-term follow-up with periodic scans is necessary to monitor the site of the repair.
If the aneurysm is located near the aortic valve, valve-sparing aortic root replacement may be used to avoid replacing the valve.