Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are enlarged or bulging sections of the major blood vessel that brings blood from your heart to the lower half of your body. The condition is called abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). AAA is more common in men, especially those over 50 years old.
It also tends to run in families. Obesity and smoking can contribute to this problem. If you have one, it's likely that first-degree relatives like parents, siblings, and children will be affected as well. There was once doubt about whether women could develop AAA but now it's known that they can also get it. You might not notice symptoms until your health takes a turn for the worse–the worse the aneurysm is, the worse your symptoms are likely to be.
Most people with AAA have no symptoms. You might feel some pain or discomfort in your back or abdomen that goes away quickly. Many people described this pain as pressure or cramping that comes and goes over a few hours.
What are the risk factors for abdominal aortic aneurysms?
Smoking high blood pressure family history of AAA atherosclerosis obesity advanced age trauma to the belly (from surgery or injury) certain diseases like Marfan syndrome polycystic kidney disease
Signs
The most common sign of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is sudden onset of severe non-radiating abdominal or back pain which may lead to hypotension. This is caused by the rupture of the aneurysm which releases blood into the abdominal cavity. The pain may also be less severe, but it tends to last longer than 24 hours.
For serious cases, treatment needs to be done as soon as possible because of the risk for organ damage and low blood pressure. Aneurysms can cause an interruption in normal blood flow due to high tension on the walls of the artery that leads to tissue death (necrosis). This can result in problems with bodily functions that are controlled by nerves served by that section of artery. Immediate surgery is needed if there's a risk of sudden rupture.
Most ruptures occur in the smaller part of the aneurysm (called the “neck”). The larger, more common section (called the “belly”) isn't as likely to rupture.
What does it mean for an abdominal aortic aneurysm to be ruptured?
Aneurysms can weaken and eventually rupture, or leak blood into their surroundings. Ruptures usually occur in the top two-thirds of the artery. If this happens, blood flows into your abdomen or back at rapidly increasing pressure. Your pain level will go up very quickly if this happens, so you should take action immediately if you feel it is necessary. Symptoms may include:
If blood spills outside of your arteries into other areas of your body, you may have bleeding from your rectum or develop blood in your urine. You may also feel nauseated or vomit.
What is the treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm?
Surgery is done to replace the diseased section of artery with a healthy tube of tissue that's often made from a synthetic material, taken from another part of your body, or donated from someone who's had surgery. This replacement section may be called a “graft,” and some surgeons use arteries harvested from the person's leg (called a “free flap”). The procedure is called “open surgical repair.” In most cases, open surgery requires stopping your heart during the procedure so doctors can get at the problem area without causing further damage to your organs or blood vessels.
Another treatment option is endovascular repair (EVAR), in which the aneurysm is treated with a metal stent graft that's inserted through the femoral artery in the leg and guided to the aneurysm. The stent graft has a balloon at each end, one of which expands inside your artery to anchor it in place while the other allows doctors to inflate and deflate the balloon from outside of your body. Unlike open surgery, EVAR doesn't require stopping your heart so you don't have to go on a heart-lung machine.
