Panama Medical Vacations
Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Panama
The largest artery in your body, the aorta moves blood from your heart to the other parts of your body. The thoracic aorta is the portion that runs through your chest and the abdominal aorta services your abdomen. When a weak section of your aorta expands or bulges, it is called an aortic aneurysm. Approximately 25 percent of aortic aneurysms occur in the chest, and the rest involve the abdominal aorta.
In surgical aortic aneurysm repair, your surgeon repairs or removes an aneurysm through a small incision. An aneurysm is an enlarged and weakened portion of an artery; this is a serious health concern, because as it grows larger, it can rupture. Blood clots can also form in an aneurysm and block blood flow to parts of your body, potentially leading to a stroke.
The Procedure
There are two treatment plans for a thoracic aortic aneurysm. The first is the traditional open surgical repair and the second is the endovascular stent graft repair. The procedures for these are:
Open Surgical Repair
Your surgeon will make an opening in your skin and muscle above the artery with the aneurysm. For an abdominal aortic aneurysm, your surgeon will work through the wall of your abdomen. If your aneurysm is in your knee, your surgeon will be operating on your leg.
After your surgeon prepares the site, he or she will clamp the artery above the aneurysm to stop blood from entering that area of the aorta. Your surgeon will open the aneurysm and removes the clotted blood and plaque deposits.
Typically your surgeon will not completely remove the affected section of your aneurysm. Instead, he or she may cut through the wall of the artery to open it, and then insert a graft the same size and shape as your artery. Your surgeon will attach one end of this graft just above where the aneurysm begins and the other end below the end of the aneurysm. Another method that is less common is to attach a fabric patch to the artery wall to reduce its size and strengthen it.
For aneurysms in the head, a neurosurgeon may use clips or small clamps. The neurosurgeon will place the clip or clamp where the aneurysm attaches to the artery. This keeps blood from inflating the aneurysm and it subsequently deflates.
If clipping the aneurysm is not possible because of its location, he or she may fill the aneurysm with tiny metal or plastic coils. Using a catheter, the surgeon locates the aneurysm in order to insert the coils. The coils fill the inside of the aneurysm and block blood from flowing into it.
After your surgery
Your hospital stay may last for about 7 to 10 days. Your surgeon outline a set of special instructions to follow the surgery such as not lifting anything more than 10 pounds until your incision heals adequately.
Periodically, depending upon its location, your physician may want an imaging study to ensure that your aneurysm is not reformed and that the method of correction functioning correctly.
Risks
Complications are possible following any major surgical procedure. Some of the lesser complications that you may experience are swelling, respiratory or urinary infections, or infections at the incision site. More serious complications that are possible include:
- Heart problems
- Breathing problems
- Kidney problems
- Colon problems
Paralysis in the lower half of the body is rare following abdominal surgery but more common following extensive thoracic aortic aneurysm operation. Surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm can sometimes cause scar formation that can interrupts control the flow of semen into the penis as well as causing erectile dysfunction.