An aortic aneurysm, or an out-pouching of the main vessel supplying blood from the heart to other organs, is an often asymptomatic condition. In fact, many aneurysms are found incidentally on a routine exam by your physician. When large enough, however, aneurysms can cause sudden and catastrophic problems such as rupture or clot. When discovered, aortic aneurysms are often followed with serial physical and radiological exam and are surgically repaired, if growth continues, to prevent life-threatening complications.
Rupture
The most dangerous complication of aortic aneurysms is sudden rupture of the aorta. Since the out-pouching is thin-walled, a chronic or sudden increase in blood pressure within the aorta can burst the aneurysm, leading to massive blood leakage out of the vascular system and into the chest or abdomen. When this occurs, without immediate surgery for aortic repair, patients will quickly bleed to death.
Dissection
Aneurysms cause extra pressure to be exerted on the walls of the aorta surrounding the out-pouching. This extra force can lead to the peeling of the inner-most layer of the aorta away from the muscular layer surrounding it. This condition, termed a dissection, is a dangerous complication of aortic aneurysms which leads to decreased blood delivery to organs and tissues that lie farther downstream from the aneurysm such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal organs and legs.
Clot
The out-pouching of the aorta creates extra space for blood to collect while flowing from the heart to the periphery. Blood that pools in the aneurysm is at high risk to become a clot. While not dangerous initially, this clot can become larger, dislodge and obstruct the aorta. This obstruction disrupts flow to organs and tissues that lay downstream from the aneurysm.
References
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery;" Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm; Jonathan Haft, MD; July 2009
- MD Consult: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
