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• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is caused by a weakened area in the main vessel that supplies blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When blood flows through the aorta, the weakened area bulges like a balloon. If the balloon grows large enough, there is a danger that it will burst. 
   
• AAA affects as many as five percent to seven percent of people over the age of 60, with males four times more likely to have AAA than females. It is the 17^th leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for more than 15,000 deaths each year. 
   
• Those at highest risk for AAA are males over the age of 60 who have ever smoked and/or who have a history of atherosclerosis (“hardening of the arteries”). Also at risk are males and females with a family history of AAA.
   
• AAA is often a “silent killer” because there are usually no obvious symptoms of the disease. When symptoms are present, they may include severe abdominal pain (that may be constant or come and go; pain in the lower back that may radiate to the buttocks, groin or leg; or the feeling of a “heartbeat: or pulse in the abdomen. 
   
• In some but not all cases, AAA can be diagnosed by a physical examination in which the doctor feels the aneurysm as a soft mass in the abdomen. 
   
• The most common test to diagnose AAA is ultrasound, a painless examination in which a device (a transducer) about the size of the computer mouse is passed over the abdomen. Sound waves are computerized to create “pictures” of the aorta and detect presence of AAA. 
   
• Small AAAs (less than five centimeters, or about two inches) rarely rupture and often require no treatment other than “watchful waiting” under the guidance of a vascular disease specialist. This typically includes follow-up ultrasound exams at regular intervals to determine if the aneurysm has grown. 
   
• Aneurysms greater than five centimeters in size are at greater risk for rupture and typically require treatment. Once an aneurysm has ruptured, the chances of survival are low, with from 80 percent to 90 percent of all ruptured aneurysms resulting in death. These deaths can be avoided if aneurysm is detected and treated before it ruptures. 
   
• The most common treatment for a large, unruptured aneurysm is open surgical repair by a vascular surgeon or other vascular specialist. In some cases, a minimally invasive technique called endovascular repair may be used. In this technique, a device called a stent-graft is threaded through a blood vessel in the groin and into the aorta to block the flow of blood into the aneurysm. Endovascular repair is typically performed by an interventional radiologist, a medical specialist who uses minimally invasive procedures to treat disease.
   
• Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute physicians provide both treatments – minimally invasive stent-grafts and surgery. The Institute’s endovascular team, which includes highly qualified interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons, has performed endovascular repair of more than 700 abdominal aortic aneurysms and 90 thoracic aneurysms with excellent results.
   
• If you are at risk for an aortic aneurysm (over 60 years old, have smoked, have hardening of the arteries or have a family history), you should ask your doctor about getting an ultrasound screening for an aneurysm.
  
•  To request information about the many cardiovascular services, support groups and clinical research trials at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, please send an e-mail to bcvi@baptisthealth.net.

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