Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR)
Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a minimally invasive (without a large abdominal incision) procedure performed to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The aorta is the large artery that carries blood to your belly, pelvis, and legs. An aortic aneurysm is when a part of this artery becomes too large or balloons outward due to weakness in the wall of the artery. EVAR may be performed in an operating room, radiology department, or a catheterization laboratory.
The doctor may use general anesthesia or regional anesthesia (epidural or spinal anesthesia). The doctor will make a small incision in each groin to visualize the femoral arteries in each leg. With the use of special endovascular instruments, along with X-ray images for guidance, a stent-graft will be inserted through the femoral artery and advanced up into the aorta to the site of the aneurysm.
A stent-graft is a long cylinder-like tube made of a thin metal framework (stent), while the graft portion is made of various materials such as Dacron or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and may cover the stent. The stent helps to hold the graft in place. The stent-graft is inserted into the aorta in a collapsed position and placed at the aneurysm site. Once in place, the stent-graft will be expanded (in a spring-like fashion), attaching to the wall of the aorta to support the wall of the aorta. The aneurysm will eventually shrink down onto the stent-graft.
Previous Page Last Review Date: August 14, 2019Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) Team
Richard Faro, MD, FACS
Joseph Motta, MD, FACS
