Endovascular Surgery

Endovascular surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery that was designed to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels.

Endovascular techniques were originally designed for diagnostic purposes. Basic techniques involve the introduction of a catheter percutaneously or through the skin, into a large blood vessel. Typically the blood vessel chosen is the femoral artery or vein found near the groin. Access to the femoral artery for example, is required for coronary, carotid, and cerebral angiographic procedures. The catheter is injected with a radio-opaque dye that can be seen on live X-ray or fluoroscopy. As the dye courses through the blood vessels, characteristic images are seen by experienced viewers and can assist in the diagnosis of diseases such as atherosclerosis, vascular trauma, or aneurysms.

Endovascular Surgery may be used for may be used for thoracic (TAA) or abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which involve vital arteries to the abdominal organs, or arch aortic aneurysms, involving vital arteries to the brain.