Description
There are three common types of aortic aneurysms.
Saccular and fusiform aneurysms are balloon-like swellings of the arterial wall that can occur in the portion of the aorta within the chest or, most commonly, just below the kidney in the abdomen.
A dissecting aneurysm is a longitudinal, blood-filled split in the lining of the artery, usually occurring in the aortic arch near the heart.
Some 15,000 Americans die suddenly each year from rupture of an aneurysm in the aorta, which is the ninth leading cause of death in men over age 55.
Ballooning of an artery (aneurysm) can be caused by pressure on a weakened section of the arterial wall, or by a dissection - a split in the three layers of tissue comprising the aortic wall, so that blood seeps between them. As blood continues to push against the "thin-skinned" area, the wall stretches further, placing it at increased risk for rupture - a potentially catastrophic event.
The aorta, the largest human artery, is the Nile River of the body. During the average lifetime, it transports some 200 million liters of blood, while withstanding the force of up to 3 billion heartbeats. The arteries that feed all of the body's organs branch off from the aorta, which emerges from the heart and runs the length of the torso. It divides at the hip into the two iliac arteries that supply blood to both legs.
The aorta is an inch in diameter and has thick walls to withstand the force of the blood that courses through it. Not surprisingly, something amiss in this vessel can mean serious trouble. The most common, and greatest, danger is an aortic aneurysm.
Aortic aneurysms can develop anywhere along the aorta. Those in the chest are called thoracic aneurysms. However, more than three-quarters of aortic aneurysms occur in the abdomen, most commonly below the renal arteries that supply the kidneys.
Small aneurysms are unlikely to rupture but should be monitored regularly with imaging exams. Aneurysms never go away by themselves, and 80 percent grow larger.
Studies show that, on average, aneurysms expand by about an eighth- to a quarter-inch in diameter per year, though the rate of expansion increases as the aneurysm grows.
Medications cannot cure the aneurysm, but they may be prescribed to reduce blood pressure in hypertensives, so that the pounding force of the blood against the wall of the aorta is lessened.
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