| WHAT IS AN AORTIC ANEURYSM? | | | | screening or testing in these patients. |
| The term, aneurysm actually means the dilation of a | | | | HOW DO YOU TREAT AN AORTIC ANEURYSM? |
| segment of an artery. It is a gradual process that | | | | The treatment is to take the weak part out and |
| occurs primarily in elderly people. It doesn't really occur | | | | replace it with a synthetic tube. That is the |
| in young people. It's primarily an aspect of aging as well | | | | conventional treatment and has been done for 50 or |
| as something else that makes our arteries weak. | | | | 60 years. Certainly is its a big operation. It is one of the |
| Essentially our arteries are tube-like structures. Arteries | | | | biggest operations we do. The operation takes 4 to 5 |
| are like pipes that carry blood to various parts of the | | | | hours or longer. Hospital stay is about 7 to 10 days. |
| body. The pipe becomes like a balloon because the | | | | And the patient's convalescence is long. Going from |
| artery weakens. This is an aneurysm .Naturally when | | | | the hospital to their home they are still very weak. The |
| something becomes like a balloon over the years, it | | | | full recovery takes from 4 to 6 weeks. Now we have |
| becomes weaker and weaker. Eventually it can | | | | a new treatment. Like everything else in medicine with |
| rupture. If it ruptures it is fatal. There is no chance of | | | | the impact of technology %u2013 we have minimally |
| survival. So that is the reason why an aneurysm | | | | invasive treatments. So we can now use these |
| should be detected before the catastrophe happens. | | | | minimally invasive treatments for aneurysms. It's called |
| So that we can treat it. | | | | endovascular treatment. Without opening the abdomen, |
| HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSE AN AORTIC | | | | we can actually put a graft inside the aneurysm. And |
| ANEURYSM? | | | | this is called stent grafting. This can be done under |
| Diagnosis is really simple. If it is a large aneurysm one | | | | spinal anesthesia. Patients can go home in 24 hours, It |
| can feel it when one examines the belly of a person. | | | | is a phenomenal change in the degree to the stress of |
| The most common aneurysm is a abdominal aorta. | | | | a patient. It is amazing what we can offer a patient |
| Also, these should not be be mistaken for a brain | | | | who is very sick and otherwise could not be operated |
| aneurysm which has no relation to this. If they are of a | | | | upon. |
| big size one can diagnose it by examining the patient. | | | | HOW LONG WILL THE STENT LAST? |
| Otherwise in most people the best way to diagnose is | | | | This is suppose to be permanent. Obviously this is a |
| by a simple ultrasound of the abdomen, also called a | | | | new treatment where we have to monitor every |
| sonogram. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes to do the test. | | | | patient. Every 6 months we do a CAT scan and |
| It is non-invasive and very simple. | | | | follow them lifelong. The procedure was only approved |
| WHO SHOULD BE TESTED FOR AN AORTIC | | | | in the United States by FDA in 2000. So this is only 7 |
| ANEURYSM? | | | | years old. But worldwide, in Europe and the rest of the |
| Anyone who is about the age of 65 or 70 should have | | | | world, I would say they having been doing it for 10 to |
| it done. In fact Medicaid pays for the screening of an | | | | 12 years now. They are a little bit ahead because the |
| aneurysm. Someone who is 70 who has a history of | | | | FDA does not approve any treatment unless it is |
| smoking should be tested. Another important indicator | | | | well-tested. So in the United States it has been |
| are people whose family has aneurysms -- anyone | | | | approves since the year 2000 so for 7 years now. |
| whose brother, sister or parents have had aneurysms. | | | | The experience shows that it is a very good |
| We see that there is a tendency in families to develop | | | | treatment. |
| aneurysms. Thus there is a strong reason to do a | | | | |