NEW YORK -- An endovascular surgery that involves a tiny incision is helping people recover from heart aneurysms quickly.

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In abdominal surgery -- traditionally used to repair heart aneurysms -- the aneurysm is cut out and replaced with a synthetic graft.

Many patients do not have the strength to undergo this type of surgery, said Dr. Craig Kent, of New York Presbyterian Hospital. The newer surgery, which involves threading a graft through an incision in the groin, is less taxing.

"There are some patients -- many patients -- who really aren't fit or aren't medically able to get through that large a procedure," Kent said. "The chance of surviving an endovascular repair was 99 percent," In the open repair, the chances of having a complication was much higher."

Patient Richard Weisglass says the surgery caused him minimal hassle.

"Within a week to 10 days, I was almost 90 percent back to the way I was before surgery," Weisglass said. "Now, two and a half weeks later, I feel 100 percent."

The downside to the endovascular approach is that 15 to 20 percent of patients will have a recurrence of their aneurysm.

About 15,000 Americans die each year of a ruptured aneurysm in their aorta. The condition is caused when the aorta, the main artery to the heart, balloons out. It can become life-threatening if it bursts.