Interesting, I had my ascending aortic aneurysm repaired by open heart 4 years ago, the surgeon told me it was the only option, they have to replace that section of the aorta with a graft, which means stopping the heart, etc maybe it depends on other factors, my aortic valve will have to be replaced in the future and that can be done with a catheter,(but only after the aneurysm has been repaired)