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A highly complex emergency endovascular procedure was one man’s only hope of survival when others deemed his condition inoperable.
As a Vietnam prisoner of war for more than five years, William Fortner has been through a lot in his lifetime.
A pilot for the military, his history is impressive. And, despite the many missions that might have ended his life, he is here to tell his story, thanks to the expertise of Nicholas Osborne, M.D., and the vascular team at the Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center.
When other surgeons told Fortner he was not a candidate for surgery, a Michigan Medicine team stepped in to perform a complicated emergency endovascular procedure to repair the 77-year-old’s thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.
The aneurysm had grown to 10 centimeters, “Well beyond when surgery is considered,” says Osborne. “This was one of the largest thoracoabdominal aneurysms I had seen.” Typically, a thoracoabdominal aneurysm is repaired when it reaches approximately 5.5 to 6 centimeters.
A thoracoabdominal aneurysm is a weakening in the aorta — the major blood vessel that feeds blood to the body. This type of aneurysm extends from the chest to the abdomen and is considered extremely difficult to treat due to its location. But repairing it is critical as a ruptured aneurysm can be life-threatening.
