ARTICLE SUMMARY:
The 40-year history of endovascular aneurysm repair has reached a major milestone with the FDA approval of a labeling change that will allow Medtronic and Gore to help physicians learn to use stent grafts to treat ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Stent-grafts designed for endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) are deployed inside the native vessel to exclude the aneurysm from the aortic blood flow to prevent it from expanding or rupturing. EVAR for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) began in the late 1980s as a less-invasive alternative to surgery and stent grafts designed specifically for AAA reached the market in the late ’90s.
