When talking about changes caused by arteriosclerosis, the focus is usually on stenotic changes, but there are also changes in which the arterial wall becomes weak and develops aneurysms. For a long time, surgical artificial vascular replacement was the only radical treatment for aortic aneurysms, which account for the majority of arteriosclerotic aortic disease.

However, with the increase in elderly patients, there is also a growing demand for less invasive treatments for those who are less suitable for surgical treatment, and for individual needs.Stent graft insertionThe advent of endovascular aortic repair (AAA) has brought about a major revolution in clinical practice. This is a transcatheter endovascular procedure using an endovascular artificial graft, a metal stent covered with an artificial vascular material. The principle is to guide the stent graft into the artery using a catheter sheath, expand it, and fix it, blocking blood flow within the aneurysm and inducing thrombus occlusion, thereby simultaneously achieving decompression within the aneurysm and revascularization. This method is a minimally invasive treatment, reducing blood loss and preventing complications associated with laparotomy compared to conventional surgery, making it particularly beneficial for high-risk patients and those with traumatic aortic injuries. In Japan, endovascular stent graft repair has been covered by health insurance since 2002, and the Zenith AAA endovascular graft (manufactured by Cook) was approved for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms in 2006.

Since March 2009, Kitano Hospital has also begun performing stent graft insertion procedures for abdominal aortic aneurysms.

If you are interested, please visit the Aortic and Peripheral Vascular Disease Outpatient Clinic (2nd Consultation) every Thursday afternoon. (*Registration is open until 11:30.)

Figure 1: Exposed femoral arteries on both sides

Figure 2: Catheter intervention scene

Figure 3: Stent graft preparation

Figure 4: Overview of the aortic stent graft (Zenith)