What is an abdominal aortic aneurysm? Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a limited bulge of the arterial wall caused by lesions and injuries, and is not a tumor in the usual sense. Abdominal aortic aneurysm can be divided into: ① true aneurysm: atherosclerosis is the main factor, due to the deposition of lipids in the arterial wall, the formation of atheromatous plaques and calcium deposits, so that the artery loses its elasticity, in the pressure of the blood flow under the impact of the aneurysm was progressive enlargement, most of them are shuttle-shaped. ② Pseudoaneurysm: caused by trauma, direct or indirect violence (such as shrapnel, puncture), penetrating trauma rupture of the artery, dissection, surrounded by soft tissue and the formation of a pulsatile hematoma, the surrounding fibrous tissue to become the wall of the aneurysm, mostly in the form of a capsule. (iii) Clip aneurysm: cystic necrosis or progressive degenerative lesion of the middle layer of the artery, which may be related to old age, specific inflammation, metabolic abnormalities, etc. It is a systemic lesion. Why are abdominal aortic aneurysms so dangerous? Although abdominal aortic aneurysm is not a tumor and is not as scary as cancer. However, once an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures, it is more dangerous than a malignant tumor. Abdominal aorta is the largest artery in the human body, aneurysm is a permanent abnormal expansion of the artery formed after local weakness, it is due to atherosclerosis, infection, necrosis of the middle layer of the artery or congenital factors, so that the arterial wall structure loses the normal integrity of the arteries in the role of intra-arterial blood pressure in the local ballooning expansion, deformation to the limit of the rupture will occur, leading to instant hemorrhage and death. With the arrival of aging population and the change of diet structure, the incidence of aneurysm, especially abdominal aortic aneurysm, is on the rise in China. Statistics show that the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm is about 8.8% among people over 65 years old. Many patients suddenly rupture the aneurysm without any symptoms and die of hemorrhage, with a mortality rate of more than 80%. Therefore, the medical profession refers to aneurysm as a “time bomb” in human body. What are the diagnostic methods of abdominal aortic aneurysm? Clinical manifestations of the disease include: ① A pulsating mass in the abdomen. Pain. Most patients only have mild abdominal discomfort or swelling, but when the tumor erodes into the vertebrae or compresses the spinal nerve roots, there will be obvious back pain. If severe abdominal pain or low back pain occurs suddenly, it is a sign that the tumor has involved the blood-supplying arteries in the abdominal cavity or caused rupture and bleeding of retroperitoneal vessels. ③ Compression of neighboring organs. ④Arterial embolism. ⑤ Rupture of aneurysm. In addition, aneurysm can also be secondary to infection. Once infection occurs, the symptoms intensify and will make the aneurysm more likely to rupture. The examination methods that can be used include: color Doppler ultrasound, arteriography or digital subtraction angiography (DSA), spiral CT revascularization, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). What is the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm? Early diagnosis and early treatment of this disease cannot be overemphasized. The mortality rate of elective surgery for this disease is less than 5%; if rupture and bleeding occurs, the mortality rate is still as high as 50% or more even if emergency surgery is taken. From a preventable and treatable disease if delayed to the rupture of blood vessels, patients and their families will regret, so prevention is better than cure. Currently, the main treatment methods are divided into two categories: open abdominal aortic aneurysm artificial vascular replacement and interventional methods of vascular endovascular aneurysm isolation. Characteristics of vascular surgery of Guangdong Provincial Hospital: Vascular Thyroid Hernia Surgery Department of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital is one of the earlier units to carry out modern treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and it has strong strength in surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and full cooperation with interventional department makes our hospital to be able to multi-disciplinary cooperation in treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm and rational treatment. Currently, we are in the leading position in terms of the number of surgical cases and treatment effect. Currently, the treatment methods include: 1. Open abdominal aortic aneurysm artificial blood vessel replacement surgery: under the condition of adequate preparation, the aneurysm will be replaced by artificial blood vessel through surgery to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm and prevent acute rupture and bleeding. The elective surgery has high safety and is the most important treatment method at present, and the treatment cost is relatively low. 2.Interventional method of endovascular aneurysm isolation: Minimally invasive method of endovascular intervention technology will be used to put the vascular stent into the two ends of the aneurysm, so that the blood flow will no longer pass through the wall of the aneurysm that has been swollen in order to achieve the purpose of preventing rupture. This method is a good treatment method with small trauma, fast recovery, short hospitalization time and less pain for patients. However, the current high cost of treatment limits the development of this method to a certain extent, while the possibility of interventional therapy still requires individualized assessment.