Endovascular stent-graft prosthesis of aortic aneurysm

Descending thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms represent a potential li fe-threatening situation. Resection and graft replacement of the pathologic ally altered aorta used to be the preferred method of treatment. Although p rogress has been achieved during the past decades in the management of pati ents with thoracic aortic aneurysms by new surgical techniques, intraoperat ive monitoring of somatosensory-evoked potentials, and spinal cord fluid dr ainage, postoperative morbidity and mortality rates still remain high. The afflicted population is usually of older age and present at the time of ope ration with various comorbidities such as hypertension, obstructive pulmona ry disease, coronary heart disease, all of which with significant impact on surgical outcome. Postoperative complications, such as paraplegia, renal a nd pulmonary disease, contribute to prolonged hospital stay and higher medi cal cost. In this review we report on a promising alternative approach to t he surgical treatment of throacic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, namely th e currently emerging utilization of the endovascular stent-graft prosthesis in both thoracic and abdominal aneurysm.