Endovascular Research Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

The Department has a long history of developing Vascular Surgery into a defined specialty. In the past decade it has reached a position where it is recognised within Australia and internationally as one of the outstanding departments worldwide and a leader in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.

The major research thrust in the past decade has been in the new field of endovascular surgery where the Department occupies a pre-eminent position. The Endovascular Research Unit has been active in developing the minimally invasive endovascular (or endoluminal) method of treating aneurysms. Laboratory and clinical research has resulted in the development of specialised delivery systems which allow an endoluminal graft to be compressed down to miniature size and inserted through a small incision in the artery of the groin.

It is then re-expanded at the point of disease within the body to provide an internal lining which repairs the blowout defect. This technique is known as endovascular surgery. The advantages of the endovascular method of aneurysm repair are the avoidance of a long abdominal wound, fewer complications and reduced time in hospital (3 to 4 days following endovascular repair as opposed to 10 to 14 days following conventional surgery).