Mortality rates from ruptured abdominal
aortic aneurysms (RAAA) approach 90%. Before 1991, open abdominal
surgery was the only treatment available for patients with AAA to
place a bypass around the aneurysm before it ruptures. Recently,
the FDA has approved endovascular stent graft repair, which is performed
through small punctures in the femoral artery, thus requiring greatly
reduced recovery and much less risk. For stentgraft repair to be
successful, the patient's aorta must be conducive to stent placement
and the graft must fit precisely. To ensure a high probability of
success, detailed measurements are taken of the aorta to custom
construct a graft for each procedure. Currently the measurements
are made from calibrated angiography. The long-term objective of
this proposal is to develop an accurate assessment and measurement
tool which is non-invasive and provides more information using CT
scans. The specific aims of this proposal are to develop a computer
visualization software system to support: (1) confirmation, evaluation
and appraisal of vascular abnormalities, (2) pre-operative assessment
and preparation of stent graft for endovascular surgery, and (3)
post-operative assessment of the success and followup of the stent
graft placement. |
