• Press Center
• Press Release Archive
• Media Kit
• Medicare AAA Screening Benefit
• Press Releases from 2008 Annual Meeting
• JVS Press Releases
• SVS Position Statements
• Contact Us

Home > Press Center > Press Releases from 2005 Annual Meeting > One type of stent graft may contribute to continued AAA enlargement

Contact:
Jill Goodwin
Director of Communications
312-334-2308

One type of stent graft used in repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms allows the pressure within the aneurysmal sac to remain too high, which may in turn allow the aneurysm to continue to enlarge and perhaps eventually to rupture, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery.

Noting that continued expansion of stented abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has been seen more often with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) stent grafts than with other types, researchers at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College in New York compared the intra-aneurysmal pressure with two different stents in a canine model of AAA. Four dogs received Dacron stent grafts and 5 received PTFE stent grafts (a first generation device that has been replaced). Pressure within the aneurysms was then monitored for 4 weeks. Although both devices reduced pressure dramatically, to less than 20 percent of systemic pressure, the pressure remained significantly higher in the aneurysms with PTFE stent grafts than in those with Dacron stent grafts, said Dr. Susan M. Trocciola,

It appeared that the PTFE stent grafts allowed transudation of serous blood components. In other words, instead of keeping the serum portion of the blood flowing within the stent graft, this device allowed some of it to cross through the stent walls and enter the aneurysmal sac, contributing to the higher intra-aneurysmal pressure and the potential for enlargement of the aneurysm.

The aorta is the largest artery in the body and carries blood away from the heart. The abdominal aorta is the portion of that artery that runs through the abdomen and supplies blood to the lower body. When a weak area of the artery expands or bulges, it is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. A normal aorta is about 1 inch in diameter, but an aneurysm can stretch the artery much wider and can even make it burst, causing severe internal bleeding that can be fatal. If it is diagnosed early, AAA can be treated and even cured. Approximately 200,000 cases of AAA are diagnosed every year in the United States, and nearly 15,000 of these are considered at risk of rupturing.