About the Procedure
What is the abdominal aorta?
The aorta is the main artery of your body that supplies blood to all organs. The portion of the aorta just below the diaphragm is called the abdominal aorta. For more information visit the
meritcare.com health library.
What is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)?
AAA is a potentially life-threatening enlargement of the aorta. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States have AAA and about 200,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. It is the 10th leading cause of death among men in the United States and the 3rd leading cause of sudden death in men over age 60. The prevalence of AAAs has increased 300 percent in the past 30 years. For more information visit the
meritcare.com health library.
Who is at risk for AAA?
The risk factors for AAA are being male and over age 60, smoking — either currently or in the past, and those with a family history, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other vascular diseases. For more information visit the meritcare.com health library.
What are the symptoms?
AAA are often asymptomatic. Patients usually discover they have AAA during the course of being treated for another problem. Those at risk should be sure to have regular physical examinations.
How can AAA be treated?
To prevent a rupture, traditional AAA repair requires a large abdominal incision, the aneurysm is opened and a vascular graft sewn in place. After at least a week-long hospital stay, the patient can expect a long recovery.
Today, AAA can be repaired with a minimally invasive endovascular approach. Using only two small incisions in the groin, an endograft is inserted through a blood vessel into the aorta. A highly specialized procedure, it requires expertise, teamwork, state-of-the-art imaging equipment and access to advanced medical devices. Use of this approach has decreased complications by 40-50 percent; for patients, this has meant both shorter hospital stays and recovery time, and less blood loss and scarring.
For more information visit the meritcare.com health library.
Learn more about an abdominal aortic aneurysm by watching MeritCare's live, surgical webcast of a minimally invasive endovascular repair of an AAA.
How many endovascular repairs have you done at MeritCare?
Approximately 150-200 patients are evaluated each year for AAA at MeritCare. Of those evaluated, 70-80 percent or about 100 are repaired with an endograft. In less than three years, Dr. Teigen has implanted over 200 endografts.
Where can I call for more information?
Call MeritCare ASK-A-NURSE at (701) 234-3500. They can answer your questions or connect you with someone who can.