Description
Meet Dr. Venkat Kalapatapu, professor and chief of vascular surgery at UAMS Health.
In this video, Dr. Kalapatapu explains what an aortic aneurysm is, how it develops, and why treatment at the right time can be life-saving.
The aorta is the body’s main blood vessel, running from the heart through the chest and abdomen before splitting at the level of the belly button to supply the legs. When the aorta begins to enlarge — much like air being blown into a balloon — the vessel wall grows thinner over time, increasing the risk of rupture. Aortic aneurysms are monitored closely, and when they reach a size where the risk of rupture becomes significant, treatment is recommended.
Treatment options have advanced significantly over the past several decades. While open surgery was once the only option, minimally invasive endovascular procedures are now available for many patients. Using small needle punctures in the groin, a stent is guided into place and positioned to seal off the aneurysm from circulation — eliminating the pressure on the weakened vessel wall and greatly reducing the risk of rupture.
The benefits of this approach are significant. Most patients stay in the hospital just one night and are back on their feet, back to work, and back to their normal activities within a couple of days.
Learn more about aortic aneurysms, how they are monitored and treated, and the advanced vascular care available at UAMS Health.
Video Player
Transcript
An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement of an artery or blood vessel in the human body. The aorta is the main blood vessel that comes out of the heart, travels through the chest, makes a U-turn down through the abdomen, and splits like a fork in the road at the level of the belly button to supply the legs.
The aorta can enlarge much like blowing air into a balloon. It can keep growing, and as it does, the wall becomes thinner. There is then a risk of it bursting — and that is not a good scenario. That is a life-threatening problem. When aortic aneurysms start to grow, we monitor them closely, and when they reach a size where the risk of rupture is high, we treat them.
Treatment options for aortic aneurysms have changed significantly over the past few decades. Initially, the only option was open surgery — opening the abdomen and repairing the aneurysm the traditional way. Over the last several decades, advances in technology have made it possible to treat many aneurysms through small needle punctures in the groin, where we guide a stent into place. I describe it to patients as putting a tube inside a tube. We get a seal above and below the aneurysm, blood flows through the new stent, and the aneurysm is excluded from circulation — greatly reducing the risk of rupture.
The greatest advantage of this endovascular approach is the speed of recovery. Patients stay in the hospital one night, go home the next day, and are back on their feet, back to work, and back to their normal activities within a couple of days. That is the most attractive part of treating aortic aneurysms with a stent.
