1. Aortic Aneurysm 101
The aortic artery is the largest blood vessel in your body, and it carries the most blood throughout your body. The aorta leaves your heart and travels down through the chest into the abdomen. At the abdomen, the aorta splits in two smaller sections that supply the pelvic area and legs. An aneurysm is a weakening in the aorta that causes the artery to balloon out, getting weaker as it enlarges. An aneurysm is much like a water-filled balloon; the more water that goes into the balloon, the weaker the balloon gets. An aortic aneurysm can happen at any place along the aortic artery, but most aneurysms occur in the abdomen. Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) is a main cause of aortic aneurysm, as are family history, smoking and high blood pressure. Trauma or injury to the chest or aorta can contribute to aortic aneurysms. Some people are born with an aneurysm and never know about it until experiencing problems. Aneurysms are more common in men than in women, especially between the ages of 40 to 70.
2. Watch and Wait
Some aneurysms are small, less than 2 inches long (4 centimeters), and increase in size slowly. Smaller aneurysms are treated by lowering the blood pressure and heart rate with diet and medications. Cholesterol medication and diet helps control atherosclerosis. Lifestyle changes include a reduced-fat diet and stopping smoking. A small aneurysm should be monitored regularly with ultrasound to measure its size. If the aortic aneurysm stays small, surgery is not suggested until the aneurysm gets larger. A medium-sized aneurysm is between 4 to 5 1/2 centimeters. When an aortic aneurysm reaches a medium size, its time to talk to the doctor about surgery. All surgeries have risk, but it's better to surgically repair an aortic aneurysm before it tears, or dissects. All aneurysms need to be monitored regularly. The risk of surgery needs to be weighed with the risk of an aneurysm that could rupture, especially if the aneurysm is enlarging quickly.
3. Repairing a Rip
A large aortic aneurysm is larger than 5 1/2 centimeters and is in danger of tearing or rupturing. When an aortic aneurysm begins to tear, it is called dissection. The aortic artery is made up of three layers, and a tear can occur in any one of the layers or in all three layers. Surgery on a large aortic aneurysm is the treatment of choice before it ruptures. An artificial graft is used to replace the part of the aorta with the aneurysm. Although surgery for a large aneurysm is risky, it's not as risky as allowing the aneurysm to enlarge even further and risk rupture or dissection of the aorta. The symptoms of a dissecting aorta are severe pain in the chest, back or abdomen that feels like a tearing pain. Should you experience a tearing pain, get to the hospital immediately because this is a life-threatening emergency.
