How Is Aortic Aneurysm Surgery Performed?
Fresh blood from your heart goes to the other parts of your body through the aorta which is the largest blood vessel in the human body. Although the blood vessel is tough, sometimes its walls could weaken leading to swelling of the blood vessel. And it can dissect or rupture leading to blood loss. Aortic aneurysm surgery is the only way to treat the condition.
Before you learn about the surgical procedure used to treat an aneurysm, you should know more about its causes, types, and symptoms
Causes
An aneurysm happens when the aorta becomes atherosclerotic. It is hardening of the artery due to plaque deposits. Diseases like Marfan’s syndrome can also be a cause of an aneurysm. Patients with a history of an aneurysm in their families are at a higher risk of developing the problem. Another reason for the problem is the sudden dissection or separation of layers of the walls of the blood vessel. In this situation, a dissecting aneurysm could emerge.
How Is Aneurysm Detected?
The biggest challenge in the aortic aneurysm is its detection. Since it remains asymptomatic most of the time, patients have to look for symptoms like uneasiness in the chest, back pain, and abdominal pain and go for a complete examination. Sometimes aneurysm is detected on a routine x-ray. Once the problem is detected, an aortic aneurysm surgeon will suggest immediate surgical treatment of the problem.
What Happens In Rupture Aneurysm?
An aneurysm can rupture or dissect in severe cases leading to internal bleeding and sudden death. It could be fatal if the patient isn’t given immediate treatment that is surgery. The rupture has to be closed to prevent further blood loss.
Types Of Aortic Aneurysm
• Ascending Aorta Aneurysm
• Descending Thoracic Aorta aneurysm
• Abdominal aorta aneurysm
Treatment
Ascending aorta aneurysms can be treated only through open heart surgery.
Descending thoracic aorta aneurysm and abdominal aneurysm can be treated either through aortic aneurysm surgery or a stent graft placement. An endovascular graft is placed into the problem area to strengthen the artery.
Endovascular graft placement is more suitable for older patients or patients with other co-morbidities. Also, tight blood pressure control can prevent a small aneurysm from further expansion.
If you are suffering from high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol or you have a family history of aortic aneurysm, you are at a higher risk of developing the problem. You should get a routine examination done by a senior aortic aneurysm surgeon to prevent the situation from happening.