The following report by medical editor Marilyn Brooks first aired Sept. 26, 2005, on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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Aneurysms can appear in any artery in the body, including the aorta.

Thoracic aneurysms occur where the aorta hooks around the top of the heart.

Until now, surgeons had to open the chest to make the repair. But an endovascular technique that has been used for abdominal aneurysms since 1999 is now available.

Bob Ehrenberger is about to have an ultrasound of his aorta. Born with a narrowing of the artery, it was repaired when Ehrenberger was 17.

All was fine until he carried something to his attic last December and felt what he thought was a pulled chest muscle.

"I ended up stopping in the emergency room because I had that same twinge in my chest, and ended up in the hospital for two days," said Ehrenberger.

Because of his history, doctors took a CAT scan and discovered a thoracic aortic aneurysm around the original repair site. The usual repair is done through an open chest.

"The risk of spinal cord injury, which can lead to paralysis, is higher with the open operation," said Director of Vascular Surgery Dr. Satish Muluk.

Fortunately, there's another way. Doctors can now repair thoracic aneurysms the way they repair abdominal aortic aneurysms -- with an endovascular graft technique.

The graft looks and feels like paper, but its actually a Teflon-coated material called gore. A catheter carries the graft and is threaded to the heart through the groin.

"We advanced the graft, which is compressed, up into the chest the thoracic aorta. And once we get into the right place, we can deploy it. There's almost a rip cord on it that you pull and it actually deploys the graft very rapidly," said Muluk.

For Ehrenberger, it was faster and safer than opening the chest up.

"I was back to work in 12 days," said Ehrenberger.

The repair saved Ehrenberger's life, but he had to battle his insurance company to get it.

Despite the specific dangers of an open procedure, health insurance would not approve the endovascular technique. Ehrenberger fought all the way to the state -- and he won. The technique was approved six months ago by the Food and Drug Administration.