With the advancement of technology, more and more devices and techniques are being developed that can treat arterial blockages and restore blood flow to an organ without the need for large surgical incisions or exposures. Today, many of these technologies have been adapted for use and are termed Endovascular Surgery.

Endovascular Surgery is part of a new approach to the treatment of surgical diseases termed minimally invasive surgery. Patient participation in the decision making is extremely important and many of the advances have in fact been patient driven. Endovascular Surgery began in the 1960's with the introduction of catheters into blood vessels that would relieve arterial blockages and restore blood flow. In 1975, balloon angioplasty was first developed as a form of therapy for arterial blockages. Several years later it became an important form of treatment. Early in the 1990's, stents which are metal supports that are inserted into a blood vessel to hold it open after balloon dilatation emerged. Not every patient is a candidate for endovascular treatment. The location, size and shape of the arterial blockage often determines if a patient can be successfully treated. The judgement of the surgeon and radiologist are important in determining which approach would yield the best results for the individual patient.

A recent development in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms is the endovascular repair. During the procedure, a graft or stent is placed within the abdominal blood vessel through a small incision made in the groin. The stent-graft relines the blood vessel and relieves the pressure of the aneurysm. Aneurysms represent "ballooned" arteries. If they are not properly treated these ballooned arteries can tear or rupture and cause internal bleeding. At New York University, we first started performing endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms in 1994 as part of a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) clinical trial. The patient directly benefits from these clinical trials as the experience that has been learned as well as the advancement of techniques are directly applied to these patients.

Today, the Division of Vascular Surgery at New York University is able to offer repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms using the endovascular approach to the majority of its patients. The surgeons are certified and trained to use all of the currently approved FDA devices. Our results both long-term and short-term are excellent. Many patients are able to have the surgery under epidural anesthesia and leave the hospital the very next day. There is no longer a need for blood transfusions. Follow up is important in all of the patients as they are enrolled in a computerized database in order to study the long-term results of these therapies.For a consultation, please call our office (212) 263-7311 and schedule an appointment.