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Aneurysm

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Treatment:

Surgery is generally recommended. The timing and indications for surgery differ depending on the type of aneurysm.

Some people are candidates for endovascular stent repair. A stent is a tiny tube used to prop open a vessel. This procedure can be done with a major cut, so you recover faster than you would with open surgery. Not all patients with aneurysms are candidates for stenting, however.

Expectations (prognosis):

With successful surgical repair, the outlook is often excellent.

Complications:

The main complications of aneurysm include rupture, infection, and compression of local structures. Rupture of some types of aneurysms can cause massive bleeding, which is often fatal. This is commonly seen with abdominal aortic aneurysms, mesenteric artery aneurysms, and splenic artery aneurysms.

Rupture of aneurysms in the brain can cause stroke, disability, and death. Brain surgery for aneurysms can also result in these complications, if the aneurysm ruptures during surgery and bleeding cannot be controlled.

Infection of the aneurysm, which sometimes follows infection at other sites of the body, can lead to systemic illness and rupture. Clotting of the aneurysm occurs when blood stops moving inside the aneurysm, blocking further blood flow past the site of the aneurysm and depriving the tissues beyond of blood.

In certain cases, aneurysms can compress neighboring structures such as nerves, leading to neurologic problems, such as weakness and numbness. This can occur with popliteal artery aneurysms.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your physician for if you develop any new mass on your body, whether or not it is throbbing.

• Review Date: 7/14/2006
• Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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