Of patients who currently undergo surgery to repair this type of extended aneurysm, called a thoracoabdominal aneurysm, 15 to 30 percent develop paralysis and another 10 to 20 percent die.

"The techniques we use, including a temporary artery bypass combined with a method to reduce spinal fluid pressure during the operation, decreased paraplegia and significantly reduced the mortality rate to five percent for patients with these large aneurysms," said Konstadinos A. Plestis, M.D., a cardiovascular surgeon and principal researcher in a study of 21 patients who underwent the procedure at Montefiore over the past two years. His findings were presented in June 2000 at a meeting of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society in Montreal and have been accepted for publication in the Annals of Vascular Surgery.

An aneurysm occurs when the wall of an artery becomes weak and balloons out. If the vessel bursts, it can lead to severe hemorrhage; when it occurs in the aorta, the central artery in the body, it can lead to rapid death. To repair an aneurysm, a surgeon must clamp off the blood flow in the aorta and then insert a plastic tube into the dilated section of the blood vessel. If the aorta in the chest is clamped off for too long (more than 30 minutes), it can cause paralysis because blood cannot reach the spinal cord.

The operation for a thoracoabdominal aneurysm, which extends from the chest to the abdomen, can take an hour or more. This highly specialized operation is performed in only a few select medical centers in the United States.

In the new procedure, surgeons use a temporary artery bypass with a special pump to keep blood flowing into the spinal column and other areas of the body. They also drain fluid from the spinal column to reduce spinal fluid pressure.

Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ranks among the top one percent of all US hospitals based on its investments in medical innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Montefiore invests more in order to enable compassionate, personalized care and the most positive outcomes for patients and their families in New York, the tri-state area and beyond.

Montefiore’s unique combination of ‘state-of-the-art’ technology with ‘state-of-the-heart’ medical and nursing care in a teaching and research environment provides patients with access to world-class medical experts, the newest and most innovative treatments and the best medical center experience anywhere.

This 1,062 bed medical center includes the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, the Jack D. Weiler Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, a large home healthcare agency and a 21-site medical group practice located throughout the Bronx and nearby Westchester.

Montefiore treats all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer care, tissue and organ transplantation, children's health, women's health, surgery and the surgical subspecialties. Montefiore Medical Center focuses on providing family-centered healthcare in a nurturing environment that extends well beyond hospital and clinic walls.

Shalom Kalnicki, MD,

Chairman, Radiation Oncology

Montefiore is establishing new standards in radiation treatment for many cancers. For example, to treat lung cancer we use Image-Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IGRT), which allows unprecedented targeting of a lung tumor without harming surrounding tissue – even when the lungs move as the patient breathes.