Vascular Surgery

An Abdominal Aortic Aneurism (AAA) is an enlarged area in the lower part of the aorta- the major blood vessel that supplies blood from the heart up to head and arms and down to abdomen, legs and pelvis. As aorta is the body’s main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life threatening bleeding. Large aneurysms are rare but are usually fetal. The bulging occurs when the walls of the aorta weakens. The reason of weakness is thought to be smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level. Rupture of the abdominal aorta may result in pain in the abdomen, low blood pressure or loss of consciousness and often results in death. AAA most commonly occurs in men over 50 years of age and among those with a family history. Surgery is normally recommended with enlarged AAA, and repair may be either by open surgery or Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR).