Aortic Aneurysm

Aortic Aneurysm is a condition of the appearance of a bump on the aortic wall or weakening of the aortic wall. Aorta is the main and largest blood vessel in the human body, serves to drain blood that contains a lot of oxygen from the heart throughout the body.

Aortic aneurysm can cause aortic wall rupture and bleeding to the risk of death.

Type of aortic aneurysm :

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm ➡ enlargement or lumps occur at the bottom of the aorta.
• Thoracal aortic aneurysm ➡ enlargement occurs in the upper aorta.
• Torako-abdominal aortic aneurysm ➡ enlargement occurs between the top and bottom of the aorta.

Risk factors :

• Smoke.
• Age > 65 years.
• Hypertension.
• Suffering from atherosclerosis.
• Have a family history of suffering from aortic aneurysm.
• Men.
• Fair skin.
• Suffered from Marfan syndrome or other genetic disorders.

The symptoms.

Aortic aneurysm is difficult to detect because it develops slowly and without symptoms.

Symptoms of an abdominal aortic aneurysm :

• Constant pain in the stomach or on the side of the stomach.
• Back pain.
• Pulsation around the navel.

Symptoms of thoracic aortic aneurysm :

• Cough.
• Hoarseness.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.
• Back pain.

Cause.

The cause of aortic aneurysm is not known with certainty. But there are several trigger factors :

• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
• Infection in the aorta or other body parts that are not treated.
• Genetic disorders.
• Injury.

Diagnosis.

• Abdominal ultrasound examination.
• Chest radiograph.
• CT scan.
• MRI.
• Genetic examination.

Treatment.

• The goal of treatment of aortic aneurysms is to prevent rupture of aortic blood vessels.
• Routine medical examination to monitor the development of aneurysms.
• Surgery if the aneurysm is measuring 5-5.5 cm or larger.
• Take a damaged part of the aorta and replace it with a synthetic tube.
• Endovascular surgery : attach a synthetic graft to the end of the catheter that will be inserted into the aorta through an artery in the patient's leg.
• Provision of drugs to reduce the risk of aneurysm complications.
• Heart valve repair surgery.

Symptoms of aortic wall rupture :

• Severe pain in the abdomen, chest or back.
• Hard to breath.
• Low blood pressure.
• Pain spreads to the back or legs.
• Sweating a lot.
• Shortness of breath.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Nausea.
• Dizzy.
• Heart beats fast.
• Limp body.
• Partial paralysis.
• Difficult to talk.
• Lost consciousness.