Aortic Prosthesis

The aorta is the main vessel through which blood is supplied from the heart to all vital organs of the human body. Problems can arise due to various reasons: congenital (genetic), inflammatory, or autoimmune diseases, but most often due to high stress, leading to increased pressure on the walls of the aorta and subsequent involvement of the atherosclerotic process, which leads to local dilation and the formation of an aneurysm

Complaints usually arise when the aneurysm begins to dissect or, as it enlarges, compresses the surrounding organs and tissues. Pain and/or dysfunction of the organs located in the area of the aneurysm appear. Initially, the complaints are not severe and therefore do not alert either the patient or the doctor.

In the High Medical Technologies Clinic, two methods are used to treat aortic aneurysms - endovascular treatment using a special intravascular prosthesis (stent-graft) and open surgery - aortic prosthetics (with a synthetic substitute) in all its parts - ascending, arch, thoracic, and abdominal.

The choice of treatment method is recommended by a cardiovascular surgeon based on the results of diagnostic tests. Therefore, before performing aortic prosthetic surgery, a comprehensive diagnosis should be carried out.

Currently, the optimal diagnostic method, providing the most complete information about the location, extent, diameter of the aneurysm, and its relationship to adjacent organs, is multislice computed tomography with intravenous contrast enhancement. For each part of the aorta, there is a critical limit of expansion, after reaching which the risk of vessel rupture increases. The critical value is considered to be 5 cm or more, or an increase of 6 mm in 6 months according to the survey data.

The main method of treatment for aneurysms of any part of the aorta is surgical. The essence of the method lies in replacing the dilated segment of the aorta to prevent its further stretching and rupture. Each method has its indications, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Speaking of the open surgical method, its universality is primarily noted, the possibility of correcting all disorders associated with an aortic aneurysm, regardless of the department and nature of the lesion. For example, with an aneurysm of the ascending aorta and involvement of the aortic valve, aortic and aortic valve prostheses are performed. Accordingly, there is a need for the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and often complete cessation of circulation.

All cardiothoracic surgical procedures in our clinic are performed by experienced specialists who perform surgeries on a regular basis:

• prosthetics of the ascending aorta
• prosthetics of the thoracic aorta
• prosthetics of the abdominal aorta
• prosthetics of the aortic arch