Aortic Aneurysms

What is an Aorta? What is an Aortic Aneurysm (AA)? At what level does the Aortic Aneurysm (AA) develop? What are the symptoms of an Aortic Aneurysm (AA)? If most AA have no symptoms how are they found? What causes weakening of the Aortic wall to form an Aneurysm? Who is at risk and how can AA be screened? How are AA treated once discovered? Treatment I. Open repair Treatment II. Endovascular aneurysm repair or EVAR What to expect from open repair? What to expect from endovascular repair?

What are the symptoms of an Aortic Aneurysm (AA)?

AA produce no symptoms whatsoever until rupture occurs or in some instances rapid growth in size, a sign that the AA is about to rupture. AA’s have been coined” the silent killer” because an AA may rupture before one knows that the condition even exists.

Symptoms of rupture or rapid growth vary according to where the AA is located:
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA): pain in the abdomen shooting to the back and chest
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAAA): pain the chest shooting to the upper back which may extend to the jaw, sternum, and abdomen.