Aortic Aneurysm

Also called: AAA, TAA

Most aneurysms -- abnormal bulges or "ballooning" in the wall of an artery -- occur in the aorta. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

There are two types of aortic aneurysm:

• Thoracic aortic aneurysms occur in the part of the aorta running through the chest.
• Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur in the part of the aorta running through the abdomen.

Because aneurysms can develop and become large before causing any symptoms, it is important to look for them in people who are at high risk. Ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms is recommended for men who have ever smoked and are between the ages of 65 and 75. Medicines and surgery are the two main treatments for aneurysms.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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• Aortic Aneurysm(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment	Specific Conditions	Tutorials Videos
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Financial Issues Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles	Directories Organizations	No links available

• Overviews
  • Aortic Aneurysms(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • JAMA Patient Page: Aortic Aneurysms(American Medical Association)

    Also available in Spanish

• Latest News
  • Too Few Screened for Abdominal Aneurysm, Study Says(04/24/2009, HealthDay)
• Diagnosis/Symptoms
  • Angiogram(Society for Vascular Surgery)
  • Catheter Angiography(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

  • Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

  • Duplex Ultrasound(Society for Vascular Surgery)
  • MR Angiography (MRA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

• Treatment
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Treatments(Society of Interventional Radiology)
  • Aneurysm Repair(Texas Heart Institute)
  • Endovascular Stent Graft for Abdominal and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms(Society for Vascular Surgery)
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• Specific Conditions
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Patient Education Institute)

    Also available in Spanish

  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(UpToDate)
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Society for Vascular Surgery)
  • Aortic Dissection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Aortic Dissection(Merck & Co., Inc.)
  • Thoracic Aneurysm(Society for Vascular Surgery)
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• Tutorials
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Patient Education Institute)

    Also available in Spanish

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• Videos
  • Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - One hour program - 5/07/2009
  • Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - One hour program - 12/05/2007
  • Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - One hour program - 5/20/2008
  • Endovascular Repair of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - One hour program - 5/17/2007
  • Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - One hour program - 11/06/2007
  • Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - One hour program - 11/16/2007
  • Endovascular Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - One hour program - 3/1/2007
  • Innovative Valve-Sparing Surgical Procedure for Aortic Root Aneurysm(OR-Live) - One hour program - 6/12/2007
  • Minimally Invasive Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - One hour program - 12/14/2006
  • Minimally Invasive Repair of Thoracic Aortic AneurysmLinks to PDF(OR-Live) - One hour program - 5/22/2007
  • Repair of a Migrated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Endovascular Graft(OR-Live) - One hour program
  • Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)(OR-Live) - One hour program - 2/17/2009
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• Financial Issues
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
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• Clinical Trials
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Aortic Aneurysm(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic(National Institutes of Health)
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• Research
  • Study Uncovers Possible Key to Improving Diagnosis of Acute Aortic Dissection(American Heart Association)
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• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: In the clinic. Abdominal aortic aneurysm.
  • Article: Prediction of 30-day mortality after endovascular repair or open surgery...
  • Article: Management of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
  • Aortic Aneurysm -- see more articles
  • Thoracic aortic aneurysm -- see more articles
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• Directories
  • Find a Vascular Specialist(Society for Vascular Surgery)
  • Find an Accredited Echocardiography Laboratory or Vascular Laboratory(American Society of Echocardiography)
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• Organizations
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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• Related Topics

  • Aneurysms
  • Blood, Heart and Circulation

• • National Institutes of Health

    • The primary NIH organization for research on Aortic Aneurysm is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute