AN ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM:
It is a dilatation or ballooning out of an area in the lower part of the aorta. The Aorta is the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the whole body. The aorta is about the thickness of a garden hose, runs from the heart through the center of the chest and abdomen. Because the aorta is the main blood-supplying artery, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding. Depending on the rate at which the aortic aneurysm is growing, the treatment may vary from watchful waiting to emergency surgery. Once an abdominal aortic aneurysm is found, doctors will closely monitor it so that surgery can be planned if it is necessary. An emergency surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can be risky.
Symptoms:
The majority of the aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic. They tend to grow slowly, remain symptomless and undetected; therefore they are called silent killers. However, when they enlarge they may cause pain in abdomen, chest and lower back. They may give a pulsating sensation in the same areas. The risk of rupture in the symptomatic aneurysms is pretty high. There may be dizziness, passing out and nausea & vomiting.