(Vienna, 14 October 2025) — In the hybrid operating room of Vuniversity Hospital Vienna (AKH Wien), a patient with an aortic aneurysm was treated for the first time with a vascular prosthesis (stent graft) that was customized directly in the operating room to fit the individual anatomy. Using a laser system, the stent graft was modified during surgery in such a way that the dilated abdominal aorta could be stabilized without compromising the function of a kidney artery or the affected portion of the kidney.
In this specific case, a small opening was created in a standard stent graft using a laser, allowing the surgical team to access an additional renal artery through the hole and secure it with a connecting stent graft. As the patient required urgent treatment, ordering a custom-made stent graft was not an option, since production would have taken several weeks.
This procedure, performed for the first time in Austria, represents a major step toward personalized aortic therapy. For the first time, vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists succeeded in preserving an additional renal artery using relatively simple means and a standard stent graft.
In the future, this approach will allow even acute cases to be treated more gently and completely—without sacrificing arteries and at significantly lower cost compared to custom-made stent grafts. With this achievement, AKH Wien and the Medical University of Vienna once again confirm their position as Austria’s largest and leading aortic center.
The 72-year-old patient from Vienna was discharged home just a few days after the procedure with fully preserved kidney function.