What is an abdominal aortic aneurysm? The abdominal aorta is the name given to the section of the aorta that travels from the heart to the abdomen. The walls of the artery are elastic, so it can gradually expand under the impact of a pulsating blood flow with a certain pressure, swelling up like a balloon. An abdominal aortic aneurysm refers to a dilated and widened abdominal aorta, which is still filled with flowing blood and is not a growth. Therefore, unlike other solid tumors in various parts of the body, abdominal aortic aneurysm is a benign lesion, not a cancer, and patients do not need to be particularly nervous or even fearful. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common disease in vascular surgery. It is generally believed that the anterior and posterior diameters of abdominal aorta reaching or exceeding 30mm can be called abdominal aortic aneurysm. What is the danger of abdominal aortic aneurysm to people? If left untreated, the lumen of the abdominal aorta, which has expanded into an aneurysm, will continue to grow. Like blowing up a balloon, the balloon will burst if it continues to be blown up. As an abdominal aortic aneurysm grows in size, the risk of rupture increases. Once an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures, it can cause massive bleeding in the body, leading to shock or even death, which is the biggest danger of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In addition to rupture and bleeding, an enlarged abdominal aortic aneurysm can squeeze the space in the gastrointestinal tract, which may cause the patient to experience symptoms similar to indigestion, or hidden pain in the abdomen, or cause constipation. If the enlarged tumor protrudes significantly to the back, it may also cause symptoms of low back pain. Abdominal aortic aneurysms often have thrombus formation on the inner wall of the aneurysm, which is attached to the blood vessel wall. In some cases, the thrombus attached to the wall within the aneurysm may have small pieces of dislodgment, which may flow down the bloodstream to the lower limb arteries, blocking the arteries of the lower limbs, and causing ischemic symptoms in the lower limbs. Therefore, even though abdominal aortic aneurysm is not a malignant tumor, it should be taken seriously by the patients and once detected, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible to avoid the above situation. Most of the abdominal aortic aneurysms have no specific symptoms, and most of the patients are found in routine physical examination, so routine physical examination is very necessary. In some patients with thin body type, a throbbing mass near the navel was touched by chance when lying down, and further examination revealed abdominal aortic aneurysm. As mentioned earlier, abdominal aortic aneurysm can lead to symptoms such as dyspepsia, constipation, abdominal pain, low back pain and even lower limb ischemia, which are often found by patients at the clinic as a result. The variety of symptoms exhibited by different patients is the reason why this disease is often missed and misdiagnosed. The main cause of abdominal aortic aneurysms is the “aging” of the arterial wall caused by atherosclerosis, which gradually expands under the constant pressure of blood flow, and therefore occurs more often in elderly patients. The incidence is much higher in men than in women. Smoking is a high risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Men over 65 years of age who have ever smoked should be routinely screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm. In addition, poorly controlled chronic high blood pressure is a predisposing factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm. If you suspect you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, the first step is to visit a vascular surgeon. An abdominal ultrasound may be performed first. This is a simple, non-radioactive and non-invasive test, but is more accurate in detecting abdominal aortic aneurysms. Measuring the diameter of the abdominal aorta under ultrasound can confirm the presence of abdominal aortic dilatation. If the abdominal ultrasound confirms the presence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, the patient will also need to undergo an abdominal CT angiogram (CTA, commonly known as enhanced CT). This test involves injecting a contrast agent into the patient’s vein, highlighting the abdominal aorta on the CT image, and providing a three-dimensional reconstruction of the aneurysm.The CTA image is the most important basis on which the vascular surgeon develops his or her surgical plan. The internationally recognized standard for abdominal aortic aneurysm to receive surgical treatment is for the maximum diameter of the abdominal aortic aneurysm to reach or exceed 50mm. patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms with a diameter of less than 50mm can continue to be observed, and it is recommended that they be re-examined every 6 months or 1 year to keep a close eye on the progression of their condition. In some patients, although the maximum diameter of the aneurysm has not reached the surgical standard, the aneurysm grows too fast, and should be treated by surgery as early as possible. In addition, patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm may have sudden severe abdominal pain, which may indicate that the abdominal aortic aneurysm is about to rupture, and the patient should arrive at the nearest hospital as soon as possible to consult the doctor. At present, there are two main surgical treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysm: 1. Abdominal aortic aneurysm resection with artificial blood vessel transplantation, which is often referred to as open surgery, or “bypass” surgery. The therapeutic principle of this method is that the traditional surgical method opens the abdominal cavity, finds the abdominal aortic aneurysm through the abdominal cavity and resects it directly, and replaces the resected segment of abdominal aorta with the artificial blood vessel of normal diameter to solve the problem of abdominal aortic aneurysm completely. 2.Abdominal aortic aneurysm endoluminal repair, which is often referred to as minimally invasive surgery, or coated stent placement. The principle of this method is that a set of stent with membrane is delivered into the abdominal aorta, which is operated by the doctor through a handle outside of the body, so that the inner lining of the stent is fixed in the abdominal aorta, and the expanding cavity of the aneurysm is isolated from the stent. Since the stent is coated with an artificial vascular membrane that is impermeable to blood, blood will flow only through the stent and to the lower extremity arteries, and no blood will enter the once dilated aneurysm cavity, thus preventing the aneurysm from continuing to dilate, and thus controlling the risk of rupture of the aneurysm.