Before Endovascular Surgery: Vascular Imaging, Contrast Allergy Checks and Fasting

The letter arrives with a checklist stapled to the front. Have you ever reacted to contrast dye? Do you have kidney problems? Nothing to eat after a certain hour. Bring a list of every medicine, including the fish oil. For a lot of people, this is the moment the procedure stops being abstract and becomes a diary entry with rules attached.

Preparing for endovascular surgery is mostly about information: what the scans show, what your blood tests say, and what your body has told doctors in the past. The procedure itself, whether it is a balloon to open a narrowed leg artery or a fabric-covered stent to line a swollen aorta, happens through a puncture the width of a pencil. The homework beforehand is what makes that small opening enough.

This explainer walks through each strand of that homework, and separates the parts that genuinely matter from the folklore that tends to travel with them.

Is endovascular surgery a major surgery?

The honest answer is: it depends on what is being fixed, not on the size of the cut. Endovascular means inside the blood vessel. Instead of opening the abdomen or the leg, the team enters an artery, most often in the groin, and steers thin wires, balloons and stents to the problem under live X-ray guidance. A stent is a small mesh tube that props a vessel open; a stent graft is a stent wrapped in fabric that reroutes blood through a weakened section of the aorta.

A simple angioplasty of a leg artery, where a balloon widens a narrowing, is a short procedure and many people go home the same day or after one night, according to MedlinePlus. Endovascular aneurysm repair, known as EVAR, treats a life-critical vessel, usually needs a general or regional anesthetic, and is followed by a hospital stay of a few days, as the NHS describes. Both are done through the same sort of puncture. Only one of them is what most people would call a major operation.

The distinction that matters for preparation is this: the smaller the incision, the more the team relies on imaging and blood tests done in advance. In open surgery, the surgeon sees the vessel directly. In endovascular work, the vessel is seen only as a shadow on a screen, outlined by contrast dye. Every measurement that decides whether a device will fit, seal and hold has to be taken beforehand.

So when you are told the procedure is minimally invasive, take it as a description of the route, not a promise about risk. The pre-assessment is designed around that reality, and it is worth taking as seriously as you would for any operation.

What actually happens during an endovascular procedure

You lie on a narrow table under a C-shaped X-ray arm. The room is cool, because the equipment prefers it, and the team wears lead aprons. Fluoroscopy, which is live X-ray video, lets them watch a wire move through your arteries in real time.

After numbing the groin, a needle enters the femoral artery and a short plastic tube called a sheath is placed. Think of the sheath as a doorway that stays open so instruments can pass in and out without repeatedly puncturing the vessel. A guidewire travels up the artery first; everything else follows it, the way a curtain follows its rail.

Contrast dye is injected at intervals. Because blood is invisible on X-ray, the dye is what makes the vessel appear, briefly, as a dark river on the screen. You may feel a warm flush or a sudden urge to pass urine when it goes in. Both are normal sensations, and MedlinePlus lists them among the expected effects.

For angioplasty, a balloon is inflated at the narrowing and often a stent is left behind. For EVAR, a folded stent graft is delivered through the sheath and opened inside the aorta so blood flows through the graft rather than pressing on the weakened wall. Sometimes a second groin is used for the other limb of the device.

At the end, the sheath comes out. The puncture is sealed either with firm pressure for a period or with a small closure device that plugs the hole from inside. You will then be asked to lie flat for several hours so the artery seals properly, per MedlinePlus. The total time varies widely, from under an hour to several, and your team will give you their estimate for your anatomy rather than a generic figure.

Who endovascular repair is usually for, and who is usually asked to wait

Two broad groups end up on an endovascular table. The first has peripheral artery disease, where narrowed leg arteries cause pain on walking or, in more advanced cases, wounds that will not heal. The second has an aneurysm, a bulge in a weakened artery wall, most commonly in the abdominal aorta.

For aneurysms, size drives the decision. The NHS guidance for abdominal aortic aneurysm is that repair is usually considered once the aorta measures 5.5 cm or more, or is enlarging quickly, because that is where rupture risk starts to outweigh procedure risk. Smaller aneurysms are placed in a surveillance program with regular ultrasound scans. Being told to wait is not being told nothing is wrong; it is being told the numbers currently favor watching.

Anatomy matters too. A stent graft needs a stretch of healthy aorta above and below the bulge to seal against, and iliac arteries wide enough to pass the device. CT angiography answers these questions, and some people are steered toward open repair, or toward continued monitoring, because their vessels do not offer a good landing zone.

For peripheral artery disease, supervised exercise and medicines are usually tried first for walking pain, and angioplasty is reserved for symptoms that remain lifestyle-limiting, or for threatened limbs. Mayo Clinic describes this stepwise approach.

People are also asked to pause when something else needs settling: an active infection, a recent severe contrast reaction that has not yet been reviewed, unstable heart disease, or kidney function low enough that contrast exposure needs a plan. Pregnancy is a specific concern because of radiation, and elective procedures are generally deferred. None of these are permanent barriers. They are reasons to prepare more carefully before proceeding.

What to expect at your first visit with a vascular surgeon

Most of the first appointment is conversation. The surgeon wants to know how far you can walk before pain starts, whether it eases when you stop, whether any wound on your foot is slow to heal, and what else your body has been through: heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, kidney disease, past surgeries and past reactions to anesthesia or dye.

Then comes the examination, which is more hands-on than many people expect. Pulses are felt at the groin, behind the knee, and at the ankle and foot. The abdomen is pressed to check for a pulsating mass. A simple test called the ankle-brachial index compares blood pressure at the ankle with pressure at the arm; a lower reading at the ankle points to narrowed leg arteries. MedlinePlus describes it as a routine first step.

You may have a duplex ultrasound the same day. This is an ultrasound that shows both the structure of the vessel and the speed of blood flowing through it, with no radiation and no contrast. It is often enough to confirm a diagnosis, though not usually enough to plan a device.

Come prepared with a written medicine list, including inhalers, injections, over-the-counter painkillers and supplements. Bring your questions on paper. If you have had a CT scan elsewhere, ask whether the images can be shared, because repeating a contrast scan is something teams try to avoid.

The visit ends with options rather than a verdict. You should leave understanding what the scans need to show, what the alternatives are, including doing nothing for now, and who will contact you next. If you leave unsure, that is a reason to ask for a follow-up conversation, not a reason to assume you missed something.

Vascular imaging before endovascular surgery: duplex, CT angiography and MR angiography

Imaging does two jobs. It confirms what is wrong, and it supplies the millimeter-level measurements a device depends on. Different scans are good at different parts of that.

Duplex ultrasound is the screening and surveillance tool. It is quick, radiation-free and can be repeated as often as needed, which is why the NHS uses it to monitor small aneurysms. Its weakness is bowel gas and body habitus, which can hide deep vessels.

CT angiography, or CTA, is the planning workhorse. Iodinated contrast is injected into an arm vein and a CT scanner captures the arteries as they fill. The result is a three-dimensional map from which the team measures the aortic diameter, the length of healthy neck above the aneurysm, the angle of the vessels and the width of the iliac arteries. Mayo Clinic notes the scan itself takes minutes, though you may be in the department longer for preparation.

MR angiography uses magnets rather than X-rays, and a different contrast agent based on gadolinium. It suits people who cannot have iodinated contrast, though it is less precise for calcium and cannot be used with some implanted devices.

Scan	Radiation	Contrast	Main role before endovascular surgery
Duplex ultrasound	None	None	Confirms diagnosis; tracks aneurysm size over time
CT angiography	X-ray	Iodinated, via vein	Device sizing and access planning
MR angiography	None	Gadolinium, via vein	Alternative when iodinated contrast is unsuitable
Catheter angiography	X-ray	Iodinated, via artery	Done during the procedure itself to guide placement

Ask which scans you will have and why, and whether an existing scan can be reused. Each contrast exposure is a small load on the kidneys, and each CT is a small radiation dose; neither is trivial to repeat without reason.

Contrast dye allergy test: what the checklist question is really asking

When the form asks about contrast allergy, it is asking one specific thing: have you ever had a reaction to iodinated contrast, the dye used in CT scans and angiograms? That history is the single most useful predictor of a future reaction, and it is why the question appears on every pre-assessment form you will ever complete.

Reactions range widely. Most are mild and short-lived: hives, itching, a flush, nausea. Rarely, a severe allergic-type reaction can cause swelling, wheezing or a drop in blood pressure. Radiology departments are set up to treat these on the spot, and the pre-assessment exists partly so that anyone with a known history is flagged before the day.

You may be surprised that there is no routine blood or skin test that reliably predicts contrast reactions. Teams rely on your account. So be specific. What did the reaction look like? How soon after the injection? Was it treated, and did you need to stay in hospital? A rash the next day and collapse on the table are very different histories, and they lead to different plans.

Those plans might include using a different contrast agent, giving protective medicines beforehand, leaning more heavily on ultrasound or MR angiography, or, in some centers, using carbon dioxide gas instead of dye during the procedure itself. Which of these, if any, applies to you is a decision for your team, and it is one of the things the pre-assessment is designed to settle early.

One myth deserves a direct correction here. Seafood allergy is not a contrast allergy, and neither is a reaction to iodine antiseptic on the skin. The proteins in shellfish that trigger allergy have nothing to do with iodinated dye. If you have been told to avoid contrast on that basis alone, mention it, so the record can be corrected.

Why the team keeps asking about your kidneys

Iodinated contrast leaves the body through the kidneys, and in kidneys that are already struggling it can cause a temporary dip in function, sometimes called contrast-associated acute kidney injury. Most cases recover, but the team would rather anticipate the risk than manage it afterwards. That is why a blood test measuring kidney function appears on every pre-assessment list.

The number you will hear is eGFR, the estimated glomerular filtration rate. It is a calculation from a blood test that approximates how much blood your kidneys filter each minute. A lower eGFR means more caution: perhaps a smaller volume of contrast, extra fluids through a drip, or a scan that avoids iodinated dye. Mayo Clinic advises telling the team about any kidney disease before a CT angiogram for exactly this reason.

Diabetes raises the stakes, both because it can affect the kidneys and because one common oral diabetes medicine, a biguanide, is cleared by the kidneys and can accumulate if kidney function drops after contrast. Many teams ask people to pause it around the scan or procedure and restart once kidney function is confirmed. Whether that applies to you, and for how long, is your prescriber’s call, not something to work out from a leaflet.

Hydration is the simplest protective step, and one you can influence. Unless you have been told to restrict fluids, drinking normally in the days before and drinking well afterwards helps the kidneys move the dye along. Mayo Clinic makes this recommendation after CT angiography. This is not permission to gulp water in the fasting window; it is a reminder that the days around the procedure are not the time to arrive dehydrated.

If you have a single kidney, a transplant, or a history of kidney problems, say so at the first visit. It changes how the imaging is planned from the start.

Fasting before angioplasty and other endovascular procedures: why, and how long

Fasting exists for one reason: the risk that stomach contents come up while you are sedated or asleep and go into the lungs. Under anesthesia the reflexes that normally protect the airway are blunted, and a full stomach becomes a hazard. Even procedures done under local anesthetic usually involve sedation, and plans sometimes change on the day, so almost everyone is asked to fast.

Typical instructions ask you to stop solid food several hours before, commonly around six, and to stop clear fluids at a shorter interval closer to the procedure, following the pattern the NHS describes for angiography. Clear fluids means water and drinks you can see through, not milk, not juice with pulp, not soup. Chewing gum and sweets count as intake in many protocols. Your letter overrides anything written here, because timings differ between anesthetists and between morning and afternoon lists.

Fasting does not automatically mean stopping medicines. Most regular tablets are taken as usual with a sip of water unless you have been told otherwise, and the pre-assessment nurse will go through them one by one. If nobody has told you what to do with a particular medicine, phone and ask rather than guess. This is especially true for diabetes medicines, where a fasting morning changes the calculation.

People with diabetes should raise the fasting plan early. Skipping breakfast while taking the usual glucose-lowering treatment can push blood sugar low, and teams generally adjust the plan or schedule the procedure early in the day. Bring your glucose meter.

A practical tip: eat a proper, ordinary meal before the fasting window opens, then stop. Arriving both hungry and thirsty makes the morning harder than it needs to be, and a well-timed last meal is the fix.

Blood thinners, antiplatelets and the rule you should never break

The rule is simple: never stop, start or change a prescribed medicine before the procedure because of something you read, including this. The pre-assessment team will give you an individual plan. Here is the reasoning behind the plans they tend to make.

Antiplatelet medicines make platelets less sticky, which keeps stents from clotting once they are placed. For that reason they are often continued through an endovascular procedure rather than stopped, and some people are started on one beforehand. Stopping an antiplatelet on your own initiative can undo the point of the stent before it is even in.

Anticoagulants work differently. They slow the clotting cascade itself, which is why they are used for atrial fibrillation or previous clots. Around a groin puncture, the team weighs bleeding risk at the access site against the reason you take the medicine. Some anticoagulants are paused for a short interval; some people are bridged with an injectable alternative; some continue without change. The timeline depends on the specific medicine and your kidney function, which is another reason the eGFR blood test matters.

Other medicines get attention too. Blood pressure tablets are usually continued. Some diabetes medicines are held on the fasting morning. Herbal products and supplements, particularly those marketed for circulation or joints, can affect bleeding and are often stopped in advance, but only after you have told the team you take them.

Write your list, include doses as they appear on the packaging for the nurse’s benefit, and take the actual packets with you if you can. Then follow the plan you are given to the letter, and if you cannot remember whether you took something on the morning, tell the admitting nurse rather than staying quiet. Honesty about a missed or doubled tablet is far more useful than a tidy story.

The pre-assessment appointment: bloods, ECG and the questions nurses ask

Pre-assessment usually happens in the fortnight or so before the procedure, though the interval varies between services. It is a nurse-led appointment, sometimes with an anesthetist, and it turns the surgeon’s plan into a set of checks.

Blood is taken for several purposes at once. A full blood count looks at red cells, white cells and platelets, so anemia or a low platelet count is known in advance. Kidney function and electrolytes guide the contrast plan. Clotting tests matter if you take an anticoagulant. Your blood group is recorded so that matched blood can be ready if it is ever needed, a routine step for aortic procedures even though transfusion is uncommon.

An ECG, a tracing of the heart’s electrical activity, is standard for anyone having an anesthetic, and especially for people with vascular disease, because the same process that narrows leg arteries often affects the heart. If the tracing raises a question, you may be sent for an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart, or for a cardiology opinion before the date is confirmed.

Many services also swab the nose and groin for bacteria that could infect a graft, and prescribe a short course of antiseptic wash if something is found. Infection in a stent graft is rare but serious, so this step gets more attention than it might for other operations.

Then come the questions: past anesthetics and how you tolerated them, loose teeth or crowns, sleep apnea, smoking, alcohol, mobility at home, who will collect you and who will be with you the first night. These are not box-ticking. Smoking, for instance, affects wound healing and stent patency, and even a short period without cigarettes before surgery is thought to help. Consent is often discussed here in draft, so bring your question list.

Anesthesia choices and what the morning of the procedure looks like

Angioplasty and many stent procedures are done under local anesthetic with sedation: the groin is numbed, and a medicine through a vein makes you relaxed and drowsy without a breathing tube. EVAR may be done this way, under a regional block such as a spinal, or under general anesthetic, depending on how long the procedure is expected to take and how well you would tolerate lying still. The NHS notes all three routes are used. The anesthetist makes this call with you, usually at pre-assessment.

On the morning, you arrive fasted and are checked in. You change into a gown, a cannula goes into a vein in your hand or arm, and the groin area may be shaved. The team confirms your name, the procedure and the side, then asks the same allergy and medicine questions again. Repetition here is deliberate; it catches errors.

In the procedure room you are attached to monitors for heart rhythm, blood pressure and oxygen. Antibiotics are usually given through the drip before a stent graft is placed. Sedation begins, the groin is cleaned with antiseptic and covered with sterile drapes, and the local anesthetic goes in. Most people describe a stinging sensation followed by pressure rather than pain.

Afterwards you go to a recovery area. Staff check the puncture site and the pulses in your feet at intervals, and you are asked to lie flat and keep the leg straight for several hours, as MedlinePlus describes, so the artery seals. Bruising at the groin is common and can look dramatic over the following days without meaning anything is wrong.

Eating and drinking usually restart once you are fully awake. Fluids are encouraged, to help the kidneys clear the contrast, and you will be asked to pass urine before discharge or before the drip comes down.

Endovascular aneurysm repair hospital stay, and what the following days and weeks usually look like

Hospital stay tracks the size of the job. After a peripheral angioplasty, MedlinePlus says most people go home the same day or after one night. After EVAR, the NHS describes a stay of a few days, compared with a week or more after open aortic repair. These are typical ranges, not promises; your own stay depends on how you recover, what the pulses and blood tests show, and whether you have someone at home.

The first week at home is mostly about the groin. Expect tenderness, a bruise that may spread down the thigh and change color, and a small firm lump under the puncture that gradually softens. Walking short distances several times a day is encouraged from the start. Heavy lifting, straining and vigorous exercise are usually restricted for a period, with the exact advice coming from your team. Driving waits until you can brake hard without hesitation and your insurer’s conditions are met.

Fatigue can outlast the wound. Anesthesia, a hospital stay and the body’s response to a procedure add up, and feeling washed out for a couple of weeks after EVAR is common. The NHS puts full recovery from EVAR at a few weeks, compared with a few months after open repair.

Then comes the part people forget: surveillance. A stent graft sits inside a living, changing aorta. Blood can occasionally track around the edge of the graft, an event called an endoleak, and devices can shift over years. The NHS describes regular scans after EVAR to check the graft and the aneurysm, continuing long term. This follow-up is part of the treatment, not an optional extra, and it is worth confirming the schedule before you leave hospital.

After angioplasty, follow-up focuses on symptoms, foot pulses and the risk-factor work that keeps the artery open: blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, exercise and not smoking.

What people often get wrong when preparing for endovascular surgery

Some misunderstandings show up so often at pre-assessment that they deserve their own list.

Shellfish allergy means contrast allergy. It does not. The allergens in seafood are proteins unrelated to iodinated dye, and reaction to skin antiseptic is equally irrelevant. The predictor that counts is a past reaction to contrast itself.

Fasting means stopping all tablets. Usually the opposite. Most regular medicines are taken with a sip of water unless you are specifically told to hold them. The exceptions, typically some diabetes medicines and some anticoagulants, come with explicit instructions.

It is only a small cut, so it is minor. The cut is small. The vessel being treated may be the largest artery in the body. Preparation should match the vessel, not the incision.

Stopping my blood thinner for a week is the safe choice. Stopping it without a plan can be the riskier choice, depending on why you take it. This decision belongs to the team that knows your history.

Once the stent is in, the problem is fixed forever. A stent graft needs lifelong surveillance for leaks and movement; a leg stent stays open longest when blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and smoking are addressed. The procedure treats the segment; it does not change the disease that caused it.

A contrast reaction means I can never have contrast again. Often it means the next exposure is planned differently, with a different agent, protective medicines or an alternative scan. It is a flag for planning, not a permanent ban in every case.

Drinking lots of water right before the procedure protects the kidneys. Hydration over the preceding days helps. Breaking the fluid fast does not, and can delay the procedure.

Each of these is easy to correct in a conversation. The trouble comes when people act on them silently.

Questions to ask your care team

Good questions do two things: they fill gaps in your understanding, and they prompt the team to double-check details. Take this list, cross out what has already been answered, and add your own.

• Which scans do I still need, and can any existing images be reused so I avoid another contrast dose?
• What did my kidney blood test show, and does it change the contrast plan?
• I once reacted to a dye or an anesthetic. How is that being handled this time?
• Which of my medicines do I take on the morning, which do I pause, and from what day? Can I have that in writing?
• What type of anesthetic is planned, and why that one for me?
• Roughly how long will the procedure take, and how long will I lie flat afterwards?
• How many nights should I plan for in hospital, and what would extend that?
• What are the alternatives, including continued monitoring, and what happens if I choose not to proceed now?
• What are the specific risks in my case, given my anatomy and my other conditions?
• Will I need someone with me the first night, and for how long should I avoid driving and lifting?
• What follow-up scans will I need after the procedure, how often, and for how long?
• Who do I call if something worries me before the date, and who do I call afterwards?

If a question is answered with a range, ask what would put you at the low or high end of it. If it is answered with a figure you did not expect, ask what it is based on. Teams generally welcome this; an informed patient is easier to look after than an anxious one who did not ask.

Write the answers down or bring someone who will. Pre-assessment appointments hold a lot of information, and memory under stress is unreliable.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs before and after the procedure

Waiting for a vascular procedure is not passive, and some symptoms should not wait for the scheduled date.

Before the procedure, seek emergency help immediately for sudden, severe pain in the abdomen, back or side, especially with faintness, sweating or collapse; in someone with a known aneurysm this can signal rupture. Call urgently for a leg or foot that becomes suddenly pale, cold, numb or painful, which can mean an artery has blocked. Chest pain, breathlessness or a new irregular heartbeat also need same-day assessment. Tell the team promptly about a fever, a new infection, a cough or cold in the days before, or any reaction to a scan done as part of the workup; the date may need to move, and that is the right outcome.

After the procedure, contact your team or emergency services for bleeding from the groin that does not stop with firm pressure, a lump at the puncture site that is growing quickly, or severe pain, coldness, numbness or color change in the leg. Fever, chills, redness or discharge at the wound can indicate infection. Passing very little urine, or none, in the day after contrast should be reported the same day. After EVAR specifically, new or worsening abdominal or back pain needs urgent review.

Allergic reactions to contrast almost always appear within the first hour and are treated in the department, but a rash, itching or swelling appearing later at home is still worth a call.

You will be given a contact number at discharge. Use it for things that feel uncertain as well as things that feel dramatic. The threshold for calling is lower than most people set it, and no one on a vascular unit will think less of you for asking about a bruise.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the hospital stay for endovascular surgery?

It depends on the procedure. After a peripheral angioplasty or stent, MedlinePlus says most people go home the same day or after one night. After endovascular aneurysm repair, the NHS describes a stay of a few days, shorter than the week or more typical after open aortic surgery. Your own stay can be longer if the puncture site needs watching, kidney function dips after contrast, or you live alone.

What should I expect on my first visit with a vascular surgeon?

Expect a detailed conversation about your symptoms and medical history, a physical examination of pulses in the legs and feet, and often an ankle-brachial index or duplex ultrasound the same day. The surgeon will outline options, including monitoring rather than treatment, and explain which scans are needed next. Bring a complete medicine list, including supplements, and written questions.

Is endovascular surgery a major surgery?

The incision is small, but the seriousness depends on the vessel being treated. Angioplasty of a leg artery is a relatively short procedure with a quick recovery. Endovascular aneurysm repair treats the aorta, usually requires general or regional anesthesia and a hospital stay of a few days, and carries meaningful risks. Preparation should match the vessel, not the size of the cut.

What is the typical endovascular surgery recovery time?

For angioplasty, many people return to light activity within days, with groin bruising the main complaint. For endovascular aneurysm repair, the NHS puts full recovery at a few weeks, compared with a few months after open repair. Fatigue can persist beyond wound healing. Your team will set limits on lifting, driving and exercise, and will schedule follow-up scans that continue long term.

Is there a contrast dye allergy test before the procedure?

Not a routine one. Teams rely on your history because no standard blood or skin test reliably predicts a reaction to iodinated contrast. Describe any past reaction in detail: what it looked like, how soon it occurred, and how it was treated. Based on that, the team may choose a different agent, give protective medicines beforehand, or use ultrasound or MR angiography instead.

How long should I fast before angioplasty?

Follow the timing in your appointment letter, because it varies between services and between morning and afternoon lists. A common pattern is no solid food for around six hours and clear fluids permitted until a shorter window before the procedure. Fasting does not usually mean stopping tablets; most are taken with a sip of water unless the pre-assessment team says otherwise.

Does a shellfish allergy mean I cannot have contrast dye?

No. This is one of the most persistent myths in radiology. The proteins that cause seafood allergy are unrelated to iodinated contrast, and reactions to iodine skin antiseptic are also irrelevant. The risk factor that genuinely matters is a previous reaction to contrast itself. Still mention any allergy at pre-assessment so the record is accurate and nothing is assumed.

Why do I need a kidney blood test before endovascular surgery?

Iodinated contrast is cleared by the kidneys and can temporarily reduce their function, particularly if they are already impaired. The blood test estimates your filtration rate, known as eGFR. A lower result prompts the team to limit contrast, give extra fluids, adjust certain diabetes medicines around the procedure, or choose a scan that avoids iodinated dye altogether.

Should I stop my blood thinner before the procedure?

Not on your own. Antiplatelet medicines are often continued because they help keep stents open. Anticoagulants may be paused briefly, continued, or bridged with an alternative depending on why you take them and your kidney function. The pre-assessment team will give you a written plan with dates. Follow it exactly and tell them if you miss or double a tablet.

What follow-up is needed after endovascular aneurysm repair?

Lifelong surveillance. The NHS describes regular scans after EVAR to check that the stent graft remains in position and that blood is not leaking around it, a problem called an endoleak. Ultrasound is often used, with CT if a question arises. Missing these scans removes the safety net that makes the procedure sensible, so confirm the schedule before you leave hospital.

References

• MedlinePlus: Aortic aneurysm repair – endovascular
• MedlinePlus: Angioplasty and stent placement – peripheral arteries
• NHS: Abdominal aortic aneurysm – Treatment
• NHS: Angiography

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.