Surgery of the thoracic and abdominal aorta

The aorta is the largest artery in the body: it carries blood from the heart to the entire body. Its diseases, mainly aneurysms (dilations) and dissections (tears in the wall), require specialised management, sometimes as an emergency. Aortic surgery consists of replacing the diseased segment with a vascular prosthesis, or reinforcing it from the inside with a stent graft depending on the location and anatomy. The segments concerned may be the ascending aorta close to the heart, the aortic arch, the descending thoracic aorta or the abdominal aorta. These procedures are among the most specialised in cardiovascular surgery and require a trained team, a complete technical platform and a high-performing intensive care unit. Modern techniques, particularly hybrid approaches combining open and endovascular surgery, make it possible to tailor treatment to each situation. Clinique Pasteur Tunis has all the resources needed for this high-level surgery: a dedicated operating theatre with cardiopulmonary bypass, a catheterisation laboratory for endovascular procedures and a specialised intensive care unit for post-operative monitoring.