An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a potentially fatal abnormal swelling (often balloon-like) of a segment of the body's largest artery, the aorta. The side wall of the artery bulges out rather than remaining straight.
The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to smaller arteries throughout the body. An abdominal aneurysm occurs in the abdominal aorta, the part of the aorta between the bottom of the chest and the pelvis.
Normally, the aorta is about one inch (2.5 centimeters)...
Read moreMost of us have had the experience of seeing a tire or inner tube that has a bulge in its side or a balloon that has a weak spot and... Read more »
Source: HealthCentral Encyclopedia
Article updated and reviewed by Neil Siecke, MD, Clinical Insturctor, UCSD Division of Cardiology on July, 28 2005.An aortic aneurysm is a weak spot... Read more »
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs becomes abnormally large or balloons... Read more »
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
An aneurysm is an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel.A thoracic aortic... Read more »
Rudy Boesch, a participant on “Survivor” and former Navy Seal, was nearly stricken by AAA, but an inadvertent detection allowed him to receive... Read more »
Source: HealthCentral Encyclopedia
A localized dilation of the wall of a blood vessels, usually caused by atherosclerosis and hypertension, or less frequently, by trauma, infection, or... Read more »