Endovascular advances in aortic intervention

The aorta is a large elastic artery and acts as the main conduit for distribution of oxygenated blood to the body. This organ can be subjected to various pathological processes including atherosclerosis, trauma, cystic medial degeneration and inflammation. The specific disease processes that the aorta has gained the most notoriety for are abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA), and it is here where the role of endovascular intervention comes to life. Although initially introduced as an alternative treatment to those not fit for open surgery, endovascular repair has transformed the management of these conditions. Using AAA and TAA as examples, the aortic endovascular treatment principles and advances will be discussed in this article. The principles and concepts that will be covered could be applied to other aortic disease processes such as aortic transection and dissections.