How to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm, usually referred to as simply “AAA” consists of a localized dilatation of the abdominal aorta, which usually takes place between the kidneys, but may also appear slight above or below them.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is potentially a serious threat to one's health, as the expansion of the aorta can cause rupture.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms

Some abdominal aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic and they are not a health hazard until they go active. Still, knowing that you're suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysm even though it is asymptomatic is an important step in preventing the disease from causing more serious damage in the future.

Abdominal and back pain - The most common abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms include back pain (usually in the lower back area, but the exact pain spot can differ according to the place of the aneurysm), flank and abdominal pain, pulsating abdominal mass and sometimes even groin pain.

Size of aorta - The size at which the aorta has swollen too will determine the intensity of these symptoms and usually only cases in which the aorta's diameter exceeds 5 centimeters (considering the normal diameter is somewhere around 2 centimeters) are considered a high risk for further complications such as rupturing or acute aortic occlusion.

If you're having constant trouble with the above mentioned symptoms, you could try performing a self examination for any abnormal abdominal mass, searching for lumps and pain centers. Take note however that even in some symptomatic cases, abdominal aortic aneurysm will not be palpable and you will be required to perform a clinically abdominal cat scan.

Treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysm

There are three possible treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysm, each depending on the severity of the disease, your age and several other factors.

Conservative treatment is usually performed on patients suffering from less acute forms of abdominal aortic aneurysm (usually when the diameter of the aorta is less than 5 centimeters).

Sometimes conservative treatment is used as an abdominal aortic aneurysm cure for high risk patients on which surgery is not possible or extremely risky. Conservative treatment uses only light restrictions and medication in treating the abdominal aortic aneurysm, such as enforcing smoking cessation and maintaining a constant blood pressure control.

Open repair (OR) - is usually performed on patients that have already ruptured (or are close to rupturing) and it involves surgically repairing the abdominal aorta. If the sufferer is too old or too young to be able to sustain surgery (or if he has any other conditions that might hinder the surgical process) than other abdominal aortic aneurysm cures are preferred over open repair.

Endovascular repair (EVAR) - Last but not least, the endovascular repair method is used in high risk patients that cannot be treated with open repair surgery. This method is still new to the medical world and it requires a certain eligibility from the patient, hence it's still considered a last option.