Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a dilatation of the aorta occurring most of the time below the renal arteries. In recent years a less-invasive procedure of inserting an endovascular stent graft has become more prevalent, and is expected to account for more than 65% of all AAA surgical procedures by 2003. Despite such advances, between 40-50% of patients who undergo the procedure develop a serious complication in which the aneurysmal sac is not completely isolated, leading to recurrent pressurization of the sac and/or endoleaks. If undetected, this complication may lead to rupture of the sac and patient death. Post-operative monitoring is crucial, and requires frequent monitoring (currently done by CT angiography scans) for patients who have undergone the procedure.
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