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Our vascular surgeons perform complicated fenestrated and branched endovascular repairs to treat complex aortic aneurysms.
Telehealth appointments are available.
Aortic aneurysms affect your largest blood vessel — the aorta. They’re weak spots in your aortic wall, and they can be life-threatening if they burst. Your aorta looks like a tree trunk with several branches. An aneurysm can affect any part of your aorta, but ones that impact smaller branches are harder to treat.
Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) and branched endovascular aneurysm repair (BEVAR) are targeted procedures that can fix these complicated problems. These procedures are specific types of endovascular aortic repairs. They use specially designed thin metal tubes (stents) to strengthen your aortic wall.
As aortic care leaders, our vascular surgeons have extensive experience with FEVAR and BEVAR. We use advanced tools and minimally invasive techniques to treat your aneurysm and ensure your best outcome.
If you have an aortic aneurysm, we will complete a physical exam and discuss your medical history to determine if you’re healthy enough for a FEVAR or BEVAR procedure.
Several days before your procedure, we may prescribe medications that help you relax, lower your blood pressure and decrease the risk that your aneurysm may rupture. If you take blood-thinning medication, let us know. We may ask you to stop taking it to reduce your risk of bleeding during the procedure.
If you smoke, quit as soon as possible to improve your recovery and long-term health.
Before your procedure, we will give you general anesthesia. Your surgeon will make small cuts (incisions) to access your aorta. They may make incisions in one of your femoral arteries — the arteries near your groin — or in your arm. Using X-ray guidance and small tools, they thread a collapsed stent attached to a thin, flexible tube called a catheter through your aorta.
When they reach the aortic aneurysm, your surgeon will expand the stent. For FEVAR, the main stent has small openings that connect to additional stents that fit into your aortic branches. Stents used in BEVAR procedures have pre-built branches. In both methods, the stents fit tightly against the aortic wall and hold it open. As a result, your blood flow improves. The stents also strengthen your aortic wall and decrease blood supply to your aneurysm, shrinking it over time.
After the procedure, you will stay in our intensive care unit (ICU) for one or two days. You will be connected to several machines that will monitor your blood pressure, breathing and heart rate. To prevent any post-procedure bleeding, you will need to lie flat for several hours.
A typical hospital stay after a FEVAR or BEVAR procedure is three to seven days. Within a few days, we will encourage you to walk and help you return to eating solid foods. Before you go home, we will discuss your at-home and follow-up care, including any long-term monitoring or medication management.
At home, you can expect to be more tired than usual for several weeks. We encourage you to take short walks to promote healing and prevent blood clots. But avoid strenuous activity and lifting anything heavier than five to 10 pounds for four weeks. Don’t drive until your care team tells you it’s safe to do so. Follow the instructions we provide for keeping your incision clean. During your recovery, let us know if you experience:
Most people return to work within one to four weeks. But a full recovery from a FEVAR or BEVAR procedure can take several months.
Our board-certified experts are leaders in aortic care who offer state-of-the-art screenings and diagnostic tests.
At the USC George and Meryl Young Aortic Center, we perform more aortic valve procedures every year than many other aortic centers.
With advanced technologies and minimally invasive techniques, we are a destination of care for complex aortic treatments.
We take a team-based approach to care that focuses on patient safety and best patient outcomes.
