When an artery becomes widened it is called an aneurysm (An-U-rism). It is often the result of generalised arterial disease through both the natural aging process and the effects of personal habits, particularly smoking. Aneurysms are most frequently seen in men who have a history of previous or current smoking. Aneurysm can also develop from certain genetic diseases and injury.
As the wall of the artery gets wider so it gets thinner, and weaker, just as a balloon would as it is inflated. Most people have no symptoms from their aneurysms, it will be silent, and never cause any trouble. Many people die at a natural age from other causes never knowing that the aneurysm ever existed. In other circumstances the the aneurysm can develop serious and occasionally life-threatening complications. The risk of complications often depends on its size but the speed that it grows and its location in the body will also affect how it behaves.
The most common sort of aneurysm is the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, AAA. The aorta is the main artery that supplies all the other arteries with blood from the heart. It passes into the abdomen to supply the organs in the belly and then splits into two to supply the legs. The aneurysm develops just below the kidney arteries. The aorta at this point can frequently be felt by your doctor, and this might be the only sign that it has enlarged. Fortunately it can be easily seen and accurately measured using an ultrasound scan. A normal sized aorta on ultrasound scan is very reassuring; it is unlikely that you will need further assessment for AAA. The results of previous population studies around the world has given us a very good idea about the risks involved with various sizes of aneurysm. Because of this, we can usually keep smaller aneurysms under surveillance with regular ultrasound scans until they reach a size where they start to run the risk of complication. Some aneurysms never grow, and therefore never need treatment. Some aneurysm increase in size quite quickly and require earlier treatment than anticipated. It is important that surveillance is carried out if an aneurysm is detected. By doing this we aim to treat aneurysms before the aneurysm gets too big and the risk of complications get too great.
Click the buttons below for more information about the complications of aneurysm and how they are treated.
As the wall of the artery gets wider so it gets thinner, and weaker, just as a balloon would as it is inflated. Most people have no symptoms from their aneurysms, it will be silent, and never cause any trouble. Many people die at a natural age from other causes never knowing that the aneurysm ever existed. In other circumstances the the aneurysm can develop serious and occasionally life-threatening complications. The risk of complications often depends on its size but the speed that it grows and its location in the body will also affect how it behaves.
The most common sort of aneurysm is the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, AAA. The aorta is the main artery that supplies all the other arteries with blood from the heart. It passes into the abdomen to supply the organs in the belly and then splits into two to supply the legs. The aneurysm develops just below the kidney arteries. The aorta at this point can frequently be felt by your doctor, and this might be the only sign that it has enlarged. Fortunately it can be easily seen and accurately measured using an ultrasound scan. A normal sized aorta on ultrasound scan is very reassuring; it is unlikely that you will need further assessment for AAA. The results of previous population studies around the world has given us a very good idea about the risks involved with various sizes of aneurysm. Because of this, we can usually keep smaller aneurysms under surveillance with regular ultrasound scans until they reach a size where they start to run the risk of complication. Some aneurysms never grow, and therefore never need treatment. Some aneurysm increase in size quite quickly and require earlier treatment than anticipated. It is important that surveillance is carried out if an aneurysm is detected. By doing this we aim to treat aneurysms before the aneurysm gets too big and the risk of complications get too great.
Click the buttons below for more information about the complications of aneurysm and how they are treated.
