Thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular stent grafting

• Endovascular stent–grafts are recommended as a treatment option for patients with unruptured infra-renal abdominal aortic aneurysms, for whom surgical intervention (open surgical repair or endovascular aneurysm repair) is considered appropriate.

• The decision on whether endovascular aneurysm repair is preferred over open surgical repair should be made jointly by the patient and their clinician after assessment of a number of factors including:

• Endovascular aneurysm repair should only be performed in specialist centers by clinical teams experienced in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The teams should have appropriate expertise in all aspects of patient assessment and the use of endovascular aortic stent–grafts.

• Endovascular aortic stent–grafts are not recommended for patients with ruptured aneurysms except in the context of research. Given the difficulties of conducting randomized controlled trials, it is recommended that data should be collected through existing registries to enable further research.

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