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The new center brings together Montefiore’s high-quality program for open-aortic aneurysm repairs and a newer program for minimally invasive repair of thoracic (chest) aneurysms, a cutting-edge technique being investigated by two FDA approved clinical trials. Montefiore is one of only three hospitals in New York State participating in the trials.
Thoracic aneurysms occur when a weakened portion of a blood vessel in the chest balloons out. If not repaired, the site can rupture and cause death. Montefiore’s open-aortic program is one of the largest traditional programs in the state, performing over 100 procedures a year. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart and distributes it throughout the body.Thoracic aneurysms occur frequently and are just as serious as abdominal (stomach area) aneurysms, where approximately 25,000 Americans, mostly men, die suddenly each year from rupture of an aneurysm in the abdominal and thoracic aorta, the main artery that extends from the heart through the chest and the abdomen.
“This is a welcome milestone for our vascular and thoracic surgery programs,” said Takao Ohki, MD, chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Montefiore and a nationally recognized expert in minimally invasive endovascular repairs. “Patients in Metropolitan New York now will have available, under one roof, both stent and surgical options for thoracic aneurysm repair. Whichever treatment procedure best fits their individual needs, we will provide it at the new center.”“Montefiore has established a reputation over the years for advancing innovative, high quality and safe techniques in open-aortic surgery for thoracic aneurysms,” said Konstadinos A. Plestis, MD, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, and co-director of the new center. “The new center continues and expands on that tradition by now offering this dual approach to treating thoracic aneurysms.”
Dr. Plestis, who has performed hundreds of successful thoracic aneurysm repairs, is known for having developed new, safer surgical techniques that protect the spinal cord, brain and internal organs during thoracic aneurysm repairs.In a traditional thoracic aneurysm procedure, surgeons open the chest with a 9-12 inch incision, locate the site of the aneurysm and then sew in place an artificial section, called a graft, to replace the weakened walls of the aneurysm. With an endovascular repair, surgeons thread a stent, or mesh-like tube, through a small incision in the groin to the site of the aneurysm, thereby eliminating the need to open the chest. The stent is then attached to either side of the aneurysm to restore normal blood flow.
The first stent graft repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in the United States was performed at Montefiore in 1992.Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is an internationally recognized leader in patient care, education, research and community services. Located in the Bronx, Montefiore provides treatment programs for patients with all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in heart care, cancer care, children’s health, women’s health and surgery.
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