High-tech vascular surgery at the Belluno hospital

For the first time, an endoprosthesis operation was performed for a thoracoabdominal aneurysm

BELLUNO. High-tech vascular surgery in Belluno. These days a vascular endoprosthesis surgery for a thoracoabdominal aneurysm was completed for the first time at the Belluno hospital.

In this particular vascular disease the aorta at the thoracic and abdominal level dilates due to a pathological weakening of the walls, doubling or tripling its diameter with imminent risk of rupture and death. Aneurysmal dilation also involves the origin of the arteries that supply the abdominal organs such as the kidneys, liver, stomach and intestine which must be reconstructed making the surgery complex. The minimally invasive endovascular technique with the use of endoprostheses allows, in selected cases, to avoid the wide opening of the chest and abdomen foreseen by the open surgery, considerably reducing the operating risks.

The endoprosthesis is a biocompatible duct consisting of a stent that is a metal skeleton covered with a fabric. It is introduced into the aorta starting from the femoral arteries near the groin under radiological guidance and attaching itself to the normal aorta above and below the diseased tract, it reconstitutes the original outflow route of the blood which thus no longer comes into contact with the walls of the aneurysm. This duct is equipped with openings in correspondence with the arterial branches for the internal organs which are reconstructed through the superimposition of various endoprosthetic components of different sizes.

The operation is technologically complex and initially involves an in-depth computerized study with the three-dimensional reconstruction of the preoperative angioTac images. The endoprosthesis tailored to the patient is then built on this basis. Finally, state-of-the-art equipment is required in the operating room for its positioning, which requires millimeter accuracy.

The patient operated on in Belluno was discharged after a few days in excellent general conditions. The operation was conducted by vascular surgeons Alessandro Irsara, Luca Ferretto and Riccardo Bozza and was made possible thanks to the close collaboration with the anesthetists, in particular with Teresa Cecconet. “After just over a year from its activation, the vascular surgery of Ulss Dolomiti joins the few centers in Veneto that perform this type of intervention, which can be counted on the fingers of one hand”, comments Alessandro Irsara, director of the unit with satisfaction. operative of Belluno Vascular Surgery, «I thank the medical and strategic management for the support for the development of the most recent vascular surgery technologies also in our province».

“This type of surgery allows you to perform a life-saving operation with less risk on patients who are often very fragile and, above all, allows a much faster recovery with an improvement in the quality of life for the patient and his family” comments the general manager Maria Grazia Carraro, «being able to do it also in Belluno constitutes a qualitative leap in the care offered for our citizens, who can have the same operation performed in the most important vascular surgery centers close to home. We will continue to invest in the professional skills that allow us to carry out this type of very complex operations and which are also a reason for attracting patients from outside the province and, very importantly, young professionals eager to grow. The company also continues to purchase technologies to provide state-of-the-art equipment for high-level operations. Finally, I remember that the process for the construction of the new hybrid of the San Martino is proceeding quickly: last week the commission for the award of the works for the construction of the new structure was appointed ».