What is an Aortic Aneurysm?
Aortic aneurysm is the abnormal dilation of the aorta, the main artery of the human body that distributes blood directly from the heart to the entire human body.
In most cases, this anomaly affects the infrarenal area, that is, the navel area.
When we refer to an aneurysm, it means that the dilated area reaches at least 1.5 times its normal perimeter.
The main risk of this condition is artery rupture, which increases considerably when the diameter exceeds 55 mm. Once ruptured, it is, unfortunately, a situation with high mortality.
What are the main risk groups?
Aortic aneurysms occur mostly in people over 65 years of age and are more prevalent in men. However, they can also occur in women.
Therefore, all patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and, especially, smokers must be considered.
On the other hand, those with a family history should also be alert to this condition.
Symptoms
An aortic aneurysm rarely presents symptoms to the patient. Fortunately, it is often detected by chance during another examination—such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI.
This exam ends up encompassing an image of the area of the aorta that is dilated and thus the aneurysm is detected before it ruptures.
If it goes undetected and ruptures, the patient experiences severe pain, mostly in the lower back. On average, it occurs 801 times in the lower back and 201 times in the lower abdomen.
It is often associated with the feeling of imminent loss of consciousness or complete loss, with the patient even fainting.
Aortic Aneurysm Treatment
Abdominal aortic aneurysm should be treated as soon as possible through open surgery or endovascularly.
There are two types of vascular treatments:
- Classic surgery: allows this weakened segment to be replaced with an aortic graft;
- Endovascular repair: a less invasive method (sometimes performed through punctures in the groin) that involves placing a device inside the aorta (endoprosthesis); in this case, there is no need to open the abdomen.
If the aneurysm is small, the doctor may choose to monitor its progress.
Specialist Doctor
in Aortic Aneurysm
Prof. Doctor Sergio Sampaio
- Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
- PhD from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
- Specialist in Angiology and Vascular Surgery
- Fellow of the European Board of Vascular Surgery
English (UK)