An aortic aneurysm is a serious condition, one that requires immediate attention and proper treatment. It’s important to understand just how severe the consequences can be if you choose to ignore the symptoms. An aneurysm is a balloon-like swelling in a wall of an aorta (a blood vessel that carries the blood from your heart) caused by disease or a genetic problem. Blood pushes the walls of your arteries with significant force and once formed, an aneurysm can grow and cause severe health issues, especially if it bursts. That’s why a surgical intervention is needed to repair the damage and prevent a catastrophic failure of the artery.
Does Every Aneurysm Case Require Surgery?
Small aneurysms can be treated with medication, but they require constant monitoring. If they display signs of progression, a surgery significantly reduces the risk of bursting. Naturally, both treatment approaches require extensive testing and post-treatment care.
Surgical Methods
The latest protocols for aneurysm surgery in Mansfield TX include two methods; open chest (or abdominal) repair and endovascular repair. These differ significantly and most of the time, one presents a better option over the other. Open chest repair is the most commonly used, but it is also the most invasive option. It entails opening your chest or abdominal cavity and replacing the section of the aorta with an artificial tube, or a graft, that will serve as the new blood vessel. This procedure lasts for up to eight hours and the recovery takes up to a month. The first week of that month is spent at the hospital. A complete recovery can take up to a year.
Endovascular repair is used when an open chest procedure is not the most viable option. A stent graft is inserted into the aorta using a special catheter and this stent supports the wall of the weakened aorta. This method is not as invasive as the open chest procedure, but it can’t be used for bigger aneurysms and complicated cases.
Aneurysm surgery is performed routinely, and thousands of lives each year are saved as a direct result of this procedure. The success rate is high, and the risks of complication are significantly lower than the risks of leaving it untreated. Visit TotallyVein Vascular Wellness for more info.
