What is TEVAR?
TEVAR (Transthoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat disease of the thoracic aorta, such as
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Aortic dissection, especially Stanford type B
- Traumatic aortic injury
- Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU)
- Intramural hematoma
Through femoral artery, a stent graft is delivered via a catheter and deployed inside the diseased segment of the descending thoracic aorta. The graft excludes the aneurysm or dissection from blood flow, preventing rupture of thoracic aorta.
Advantages of TEVAR
- Less invasive than surgery
- Shorter hospital stay and recovery time
- Lower perioperative morbidity and mortality
Potential complications of TEVAR
- Endoleak (persistent blood flow outside the graft)
- Paraplegia, stroke or spinal cord ischemia due to coverage of intercostal or subclavian arteries
- Graft migration or collapse
- Access site (femoral artery) complications