An endovascular stent graft is a slender fabric tube used by a physician to reinforce or strengthen a weak spot in a blood vessel. These devices are being used to treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bulging weakness in the aorta, the main artery that supplies blood to the stomach and legs. In addition, stent grafts are being used to correct false aneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas and dissections. False aneurysms result from trauma and are described as a sacs limited by surrounding tissue filled with blood and connected with the circulation through the tear established in the artery. Arteriovenous fistulas are generated by damage of contiguous arteries and veins, blood flows out from the artery and enters the veins which have lesser resistance to flow than the surrounding tissues. In dissection there is a separation between the layers of the artery,

through the entry site blood comes into the false lumen which is created in between the layers of the artery.

Endovascular surgery is a relatively new surgical option for people with cardiovascular disease. The term refers to a group of minimally-invasive procedures that allow surgeons to treat problems in the heart or the blood vessels from within the vessels themselves using special technologies and instruments. The procedures only require a small incision or puncture of the artery or vein and generally mean a shorter hospital stay, a speedier recovery and less risk of complications for the patient. Historically, aortic aneurysms in danger of bursting were repaired by means of major surgery. (Smaller aneurysms often do not require treatment.) That meant a large abdominal incision and general anesthesia. Most patients needed a hospital stay of up to ten days to recuperate and

full recovery sometimes took weeks. In recent studies recovery of patients who were ambulatory before the aortic surgery was incomplete in 40 percent of the cases after two years of the procedure. The risks of complications, such as bleeding, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias and pneumonia were relatively high.

In the 1990s, surgeons began to treat aneurysms by means of endovascular stent grafting. Less traumatic than open surgery, the procedure is considered a breakthrough for older, frailer patients who could not have withstood the rigors of traditional surgical repair. Most times, the procedure requires only local or regional anesthesia. Most patients experience less pain and a swift recovery.

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