Endovascular surgery is less invasive

These swellings, or abdominal aortic aneurysms kill 6,000 Britons each year.

At present, doctors routinely use potentially risky open surgery to repair the artery.

But a study published in The Lancet found the less invasive technique reduced deaths within a month of treatment by two-thirds.

Forty one hospitals across the UK have taken part in a study to see if the technique, called endovascular repair or EVAR, is more effective than open surgery.

EVAR has been developed over the past 10 years. Surgeons gain access to the artery by making two small cuts in the patient's groin rather than their chest.

It looks as though it should be a good technique for the management of this horrible disease. Mr Daryll Baker, Consultant vascular surgeon

They then pass a graft and stent - a piece of artificial tubing sandwiched between two springs that hold the damaged vessel open - up to the part of the artery that needs repairing.

Researchers at Imperial College London studied more than 1,000 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. The patients received either conventional open surgery or EVAR.

Fewer deaths

They found that 4.7% of patients who had open surgery died within 30 days. This compares with just 1.7% of those who had EVAR.

Lead researcher and vascular surgeon Professor Roger Greenhalgh said the findings justified the continued use of EVAR in hospitals as part of controlled trials.

But he said longer term results were needed before other hospitals changed their current practice.

The NHS watchdog, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, is understood to be monitoring the results of the study closely.

It is expected to issue guidelines on how patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms should be treated in June next year.

"By this time a third of the patients will have been followed up for four years, and four years seems to be a crucial period of time to be able to know if the endovascular device is durable enough," Professor Greenhalgh said.

He said patients preferred EVAR to open surgery because the incisions were smaller, the pain was less and potentially they could go home from hospital earlier - within a few days.

"If it turns out that the new method even is about as good as open repair, in the long run, you will win because of the pain and preference.

"On top of that, these early data show improved results, so we wait with bated breath for the results in June next year. But it's all very encouraging," he said.

Mr Daryll Baker, consultant vascular surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London, was cautiously optimistic.

"It looks as though it should be a good technique for the management of this horrible disease.