Treatment: Open Surgical Repair

Advantages

• Standard method of treatment
• Well-proven surgical procedure
• Lasting results
• Long term follow-up examinations of patient generally not required

Disadvantages

• General anesthesia required
• Major abdominal surgery/long abdominal cut
• Surgical complication rate is higher than endovascular repair
• Longer hospital stay and recovery time than endovascular repair

Treatment: Endovascular Repair

Advantages

• Minimally invasive procedure
• Local anesthesia may be used
• Small cut in one groin, small puncture in the other groin
• Lower surgical complication rate than open surgical repair
• Shorter hospital stay and shorter recovery than open surgical repair

Disadvantages

• Long-term results are unknown
• Higher potential for endoleak or aneurysm bursting than with open surgical repair
• Long term follow-up examinations are required
• Possibility of additional endovascular or surgical procedures.

The stent graft

Images and text courtesy of Endologix, Inc.