Leg pain? New less- invasive vascular procedures available to put you back on your feet.

The thoraco abdominal area includes the aorta and the renal arteries or arteries in the kidneys. The most common type of vascular disease in this part of the body is aneurysm. Aneurysms can occur in any blood vessel in the body, but the most common type arises in the largest artery in the body—the aorta. This condition affects over 200,000 Americans and is referred to as an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA).

An AAA is a very serious condition that claims the lives of 15,000 Americans every year. As the aneurysm continues to grow, due weakening of the artery wall, it may rupture or leak. Should this occur, affected individuals might go into shock and die as the result of massive internal bleeding. Therefore, the key is to detect AAA at an earlier stage so it is properly treated and rupture can be prevented.

• AAAs are most common in people over the age of 60.
• Seventy to 80 percent cases of AAA have been identified are in males; however, as more women are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, this statistic is changing.
• High blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol levels have all been shown to increase the risk of developing an AAA.
• Twenty percent of people with AAA have a family history of either cardiovascular disease or aneurysms.

If you have one or more of the above risk factors, you may be a candidate for screening tests that can detect an AAA early so it may be properly treated.

• Pain in the abdomen or back that is not explained by a known medical condition
• Pulsating in the abdomen—for example, when reading a book that is resting on the abdomen, the book moves up and down

If you experience these signs or symptoms, your doctor should evaluate you immediately. Prompt action may prevent a life-threatening situation.

• Abdominal Ultrasound
• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

What are the treatment options for an aneurysm?

Once an aneurysm is diagnosed, your physician will determine the appropriate treatment depending upon the aneurysm's size and location. If the aneurysm is small, your physician will likely monitor its growth with repeated ultrasound or CT imaging. If it is large (greater than five centimeters), or appears to be growing rapidly, treatment may be required. The physicians of the Vascular Center have specific expertise in the repair of both abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms and provide surgical as well as catheter-based stent graft treatments. More of these procedures have been performed at The Christ Hospital than any other hospital in the region.

Open Abdominal Surgery: This approach involves direct replacement of the aneurysm with a synthetic artery. During this surgery, you are under anesthetic while the surgeon repairs the aneurysm and sews a synthetic graft (manmade replacement artery) in its place. Usually, you can expect to stay in the hospital for about two to four days, and recuperation time is about six weeks.

Endovascular Intervention: Some patients may be candidates for a minimally invasive alternative. The endovascular approach requires small incisions in the groin. A graft attached to a catheter is threaded through your arterial system until it reaches the location of the aneurysm. The graft is left in place to prevent the aneurysm from growing by keeping blood pressure away from the arterial walls. Not all individuals are candidates for this minimally invasive alternative. With the minimally invasive procedure, your hospital stay is usually one day and recuperation time is about one to two weeks.