Cooper University Hospital is selected as one of the first hospitals in the country to be able to offer fenestrated endografts for the treatment of aortic aneurysms with difficult anatomy not conducive to traditional endovascular repair.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has recently approved the Cook Medical fenestrated stent graft as a new treatment option for abdominal aortic aneurysms with aneurysm anatomy not compatible with currently available devices. Vascular surgeons at Cooper University Hospital are one of the few centers in the country and the only one in Southern New Jersey to begin offering this as a treatment option for patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
“We are very enthusiastic about bringing this new technology to South Jersey’s only dedicated
aortic program,” says Joseph V. Lombardi MD, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Director of the Cooper Aortic Center. “Now, a significant number of patients who were not candidates for minimally invasive aneurysm repair can now enjoy the benefits of decreased complications, early discharge and a quick return to a normal quality of life.”
An abdominal aortic aneurysm, also called an AAA, is a bulging, weakened area in the wall of the aorta resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning greater than 50 percent of the vessel’s normal width. The abdominal aorta supplies blood to the lower part of your body and a ruptured aneurysm in this location is a life threatening event. Monitoring the size of the aneurysm and the rate of growth will determine the best treatment option for a patient. Treatment options range from monitoring and modification of risk factors to medication to surgery. The vascular surgeons at Cooper University Hospital will work with each individual patient, carefully looking at both the anatomy of the aorta and any additional medical conditions in order to determine which treatment option is best for them.
“As our population gets older and lives longer, we will need more advanced treatment options to deal with difficult diseases associated with this growing population,” says Dr. Jose L. Trani, Vascular Surgeon at Cooper University Hospital.
The fenestrated stent procedure will allow treatment of 15-20% more of patients that were not able to be treated with a stent previously. The procedure is minimally invasive and will allow the patient to be discharged from the hospital in typically one to two days with a much quicker recovery time.
The device is inserted through a small incision in the groin where it is threaded through a blood vessel and advanced to the location of the aneurysm similar to current devices. The doctor uses a type of x-ray, fluoroscopy, to guide the graft. Additional stents are placed in the renal arteries to ensure the graft stays in place and keeps blood flowing to the kidneys as the new graft will extend up higher to stop blood from entering the aneurysm.
“This represents the next step forward in minimally invasive aneurysm therapy and the biggest advance within the last five years,” says Dr. Trani.
For more information, visit Cooperhealth.org or call 856.342.2151.