Vascular Surgery

Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm (TAAA) refers to the abnormal widening of the aorta involving both the thoracic and abdominal segments. These aneurysms are primarily the results of age related degeneration and weakening of the aortic wall. Elective surgical interventions are considered when the aortic size exceeds 5-6 cm. There are three surgical operative techniques for TAAA repair: open, endovascular and hybrid.

Open TAAA repair involves surgical removal of the diseased section of the aorta and replacing it with an artificial graft by making an incision extending from the upper back on the left side, curving around under the shoulder blade around to the front of abdomen.

 Endovascular approach includes much less invasion with small incisions to access the blood vessels in the groin. A catheter is inserted and is used to deploy a stent graft within the aneurysm.

Hybrid approach uses a combination of the two techniques.