Tests and treatments for Abdominal aortic aneyrysm

In some cases, an Abdominal aortic aneyrysm  (AAA) is found during a physical exam. Your doctor may feel a pulsating bulge in your abdomen, or may hear sounds of turbulent blood flow through an aneurysm with a stethoscope.

Most AAAs are found with the following tests.

• Duplex scanning is a test that produces an ultrasound picture of the artery being examined. It provides your doctor with information on the size of the blood vessel and speed of blood flow.
• Abdominal ultrasound uses sound waves to form a picture of the aorta or other arteries. This test can detect an aneurysm and measure its size.
• Computerized tomography (CT scan) uses a computer with X-ray scanners to produce a view of organs and blood vessels. Sometimes a dye is injected into a vein to improve the image of your blood vessels.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a strong magnetic field to create images of your body and blood vessels.
• Angiogram is the injection of dye into a blood vessel. An arteriogram is an X-ray of the dye injected into your arteries. These pictures show your doctor how wide your arteries are and if there are signs of disease.

Treatment

Treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm depends on the size and location of the aneurysm and your general health. If your aneurysm is small and you have no symptoms, your doctor may suggest just monitoring your aneurysm with ultrasound. If your aneurysm is large or growing rapidly, you may need surgery, or a stent graft.

Fact sheet about AAA (pdf)

• To learn more about the devices we use to treat AAAs, visit www.goremedical.com