Abdominal Aortic aneurysm
An aneurysm is the medical term given to an artery when it dilates due to underlying disease. Aneurysms can occur in any artery in the body but some arteries are more predisposed than others. The most common location is in the aorta, the main artery in the body that runs from the chest down to the abdomen. Aortic aneurysms are most common in the abdomen, usually but not always just below the kidney artery branches.
Depending on the size, nature and location of an aneurysm, advice from your Consultant might be to leave it alone, regularly survey it for size increases with scanning or undergo treatment to repair or block it. Aneurysms may need repair because if left untreated, they can continue to expand until eventually they rupture which is often a life-threatening situation.
Many aneurysms do not cause symptoms and so go undetected. As a result, the NHS offers an ultrasound screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysm to men between the ages of 60 and 75 since this is known to be the group most at risk. However, both men and women outside this group may also wish to be scanned to detect an aneurysm. We can do this for you upon appropriate referral from your GP or Specialist.
If an aneurysm has not been detected but does rupture, many patients do not survive to reach hospital. Even those who make it to hospital alive then require emergency surgery which in itself carries a very high mortality. This demonstrates the importance of early detection of aortic aneurysms which are very challenging to treat as an emergency but if discovered appropriately early, a sensible, planned approach to treatment can be delivered with full involvement of the patient.
We offer the whole range of non-invasive scanning techniques for abdominal aortic aneurysm including ultrasound, CT and MRI. If an aneurysm is found on initial scanning, a further specialist CT scan is used in order to plan treatment for the aneurysm, whether this may be with open surgery under the care of a vascular surgeon or minimally invasive image guided treatment with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), usually done by an Interventional Radiologist and Vascular Surgeon working as a team.
After any EVAR treatment, CT is often used in the initial phase following up patients to ensure the repair is sound with no leaks. Once, this is confirmed up to one year following EVAR, as a matter of routine, many patients then only require an annual surveillance ultrasound scan to ensure everything is well.
Dr Harding works closely with a number of specialist Vascular Surgeons locally and will gladly arrange an appropriate referral for you to a suitable colleague should this be required.
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