Medically Reviewed by Christopher G. Cunningham, MD

Aneurysm is a medical term for a bulge in a blood vessel. When that bulge occurs in the aorta — a key artery carrying blood from the heart – it can threaten your life. McLeod Vascular Surgeon Dr. Christopher Cunningham explains surgical treatment to repair the aneurysm. In the video, Dr. Cunningham shows a dramatic before-and-after comparison of a successful surgery on an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Here are a few of Dr. Cunningham’s key points:

• The most common aneurysm that we treat is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
• When a blood vessel weakens and bulges at one point, this is called an aneurysm.
• The aorta – the size of a water hose in a normal, adult male – is the primary vessel carrying blood from the heart. Where the aorta splits – one vessel going to each leg – there’s a tendency to form an aneurysm.
• The bulge can grow larger, with the danger it might rupture, causing a person to bleed internally and possibly die.
• Signs/Risks
  • Although most aneurysms are often sporadic, in 19% of Abdominal Aneurysms it’s likely someone else in your family had one.When you lay on your back, you may notice the aneurysm pulsing under the skin.  If the aneurysm is large enough a bulge under the skin might be seen.
• The aneurysm is treated with one or two small incisions.
  • The surgeon works from inside the artery.
  • A patient is released from the hospital the next day and back to work (or golf) in a week.

You may also find these articles useful:

Signs of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Aortic Aneurysm – Screening is Important

So Many Cardiac & Vascular Specialists – Sorting Out the Confusion

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