This has been the traditional and only type of treatment before the minimally invasive endovascular repair revolutionized the management of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Open aneurysm repair is still though a needed and for a subset of patients the only alternative.
This involves the vascular surgeon making a midline abdominal incision to access the aneurysm.
The diseased portion of the aorta is replaced with a woven cylindrical graft that acts as a replacement blood vessel.
Abdominal aneurysm surgery is highly effective and durable.
Typically patients who undergo this procedure have a supervised hospital stay for up to a week after surgery, and it takes one to three months for a complete recovery.
As with any operation, open surgical repair has a risk of complications.
You will want to discuss them thoroughly with your vascular surgeon.