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

o   Although most aneurysms are often sporadic, in 19% of Abdominal Aneurysms it’s likely someone else in your family had one.

o   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.

o   The surgeon works from inside the artery.

o   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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