Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Screening, surveillance, and repair of an aortic aneurysm, by EVAR or open surgery depending on your anatomy.
The aorta is the main artery carrying blood from your heart down through your abdomen. An abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA, is a section of that wall that has weakened and stretched outward like a bulge in a tire. Most cause nothing you can feel, which is why they are usually found on imaging ordered for something else. The concern is that a bulge tends to keep growing, and a large one can tear.
Ultrasound in our own vascular lab measures the diameter of your aorta, and it is the standard way to find an aneurysm and follow it over time. It takes about twenty minutes and involves no needles or dye. If yours is large enough that repair is on the table, a CT scan gives us the detail needed to plan the operation.
Below a certain size, the right answer is surveillance on a set schedule, blood pressure control, and quitting smoking if you smoke. When an aneurysm reaches the size where repair carries less risk than waiting, most are treated with EVAR, or endovascular aneurysm repair, in which a stent graft is passed up through the arteries in your groin and lines the aorta from the inside. Open repair is still the more durable answer for some shapes of aneurysm, and Dr. Caruso is trained in both.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The things patients ask us most about abdominal aortic aneurysm, answered plainly.
Yes. Most abdominal aortic aneurysms cause no symptoms at all, which is why following them matters. New pain in your abdomen, back, or side with a known aneurysm is a reason to be seen immediately.
That depends on the size. Smaller aneurysms are checked less often, larger ones more. You leave with a schedule rather than a vague instruction to keep an eye on it.
EVAR lines the aorta from the inside through punctures in the groin, and recovery is shorter. Open repair replaces the weakened segment through an incision in the abdomen, and it is the better option for certain anatomy. Your CT tells us which one fits.
No. Aneurysms stay the same size or grow, so the plan is either monitoring or repair rather than waiting for it to improve.
Aneurysms run in families. If a parent or sibling has had one, tell us, because a one time screening ultrasound is quick, painless, and worth doing.
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