Know Your Risk for Aortic Aneurysm
Many abdominal aortic aneurysms go undetected because they
can start small and may not produce symptoms. Dr. Borkon
recommends discussing your risk with your primary care
physician and asking if you should have an abdominal exam or
ultrasound screening.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that
men ages 65 to 75 with a history of smoking have an ultrasound
screening. Besides age and smoking history, risk factors include
gender (abdominal aortic aneurysms are five times more likely in
men than women), history of heart disease or peripheral arterial
disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, certain genetic
conditions, and a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
If detected early, an aneurysm can be treated before it becomes
a medical emergency. The one thing that patients with a smaller
aneurysm can do to prevent it from getting bigger? “You can’t
change who you are, but you can change what you do. If patients
are currently smoking, they should stop,” says Dr. Borkon. “There
is a direct correlation between smoking and the development,
growth and potentially fatal rupture of abdominal aneurysms.”
FEVAR procedure, Utterback knew he was in the best
of hands. “The fact that Dr. Borkon felt they could do
it successfully gave me enough confidence so that I
wasn’t concerned about the procedure,” he says. “I was
glad they could do it right there at Winchester.”
By offering advanced procedures including FEVAR,
chimney endovascular aortic repair (ChEVAR, also used in the abdominal
area) and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR, in the chest) and an
interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Borkon and his Heart & Vascular Center
colleagues have expanded their ability to treat complex aortic conditions.
“We are able to offer patients care locally that they used to have to travel for,”
says Dr. Borkon. “Raymond had the FEVAR here, his family was nearby, he
went home the next day, and now we see him back in clinic for all needed
follow-up. We are very proud of how these services allow us to provide
leading-edge vascular care to patients like Raymond.”
→ Visit valleyhealthlink.com/vascularsurgery for more information on
the wide range of vascular services offered at Valley Health.
s p ri n g 2 0 1 8 1 3
for many,” says Dr. Borkon. “FEVAR has revolutionized
how we care for patients since we now treat those we
weren’t able to treat before. This technique also affords
us the ability to reduce the potential complications and
overall hospital stay that is associated with open abdominal
aortic surgery. And we are treating them with a device
that is customized to align with their vascular anatomy.”
As one of the first Valley Health patients to have the
← Raymond
Utterback’s FEVAR
procedure allows
him to enjoy life on
the farm with his
horses.
