Aortic disease

What happens during your appointment?

During your appointment your consultant will take your complete medical history and physical examination. In addition to which, if required, they may include other scans and tests to help dictate the right treatment option for you.

Treatment options

Aortic disease is one of the most common cardiovascular disorders found. An aneurysm (swelling or bulge) is formed along the aorta which is the main artery that supplies blood to the rest of the body from the heart. This usually occurs if the walls in your artery have become weak or has lost its elasticity. This can be extremely threatening and your consultant may urge you to get emergency minimally invasive endovascular procedures to treat the aortic aneurysms which include:

EVAR

Endovascular aneurysm repair is performed for aneurysms that involves the abdominal aorta that supply blood to the kidneys. It involves placement of a stent-graft through the groin arteries to seal above and below the aortic aneurysm.

TEVAR

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is a similar procedure used to treat the thoracic aorta for conditions such as aneurysms and aortic dissections (tears in the wall of the main artery). Similar to EVAR and FEVAR this procedure involves placement of a stent-graft in the artery through the groin arteries.

FEVAR

Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair helps treat aortic aneurysms that involve the aorta close to its branches that supply blood to the abdominal organs. It is a more complex procedure; therefore, it generally requires a general anaesthetic. It involves placement of a stent-graft through the groin arteries to seal above and below the aortic aneurysm.

Symptoms of aortic disease

In early stages of the disease, you may not present any symptoms and it could be diagnosed accidentally while checking for another condition. Majority of patients, however, may experience: