Aortic Aneurysms

Aorta is the largest blood vessel of the human body that runs from the heart, through the center of the chest and stops at the abdomen. An aortic aneurysm is an enlarged, weakened area of the aorta. As the wall of the aorta becomes weaker the aneurysm progressively becomes bigger. The aneurysms behave like balloons whose wall becomes weaker as they grow bigger. At some point if they reach a big size aneurysms may rupture, a condition that can cause life threatening bleeding and possibly death if not treated quickly.

Treatment of aortic aneurysms depends on the size, location and rate of growth. Small aneurysms can be watched safely, whereas larger require surgical treatment.

Read more here about aortic aneurysms as presented by the Society of Vascular Surgery.