Noninvasive screening for aneurysms
Q: My father, who’s in his late 60s, was screened for abdominal aortic aneurysms even though he felt fine. Is this test necessary and why? A: “Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is recommended for men over the age of 65 who have a history of smoking tobacco. An ultrasound is used to detect aneurysms,” says Mehran Massumi, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.
In most cases there are no symptoms associated with AAA. Most are diagnosed through noninvasive testing methods that detect and measure the diameter of AAAs – a key element in determining the best treatment.
“An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a ballooning of a portion of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. When a portion of it stretches and swells to more than 50 percent of the original diameter, it’s called an aneurysm. Aneurysms in the abdominal portion of the aorta (below the diaphragm) are the most common,” says Dr. Massumi.
Rupture is the biggest threat posed by an aneurysm.
The exact cause of AAA is unknown. Common risk factors are: age (60 and over), gender (AAA is more prevalent in men), smoking, a history of heart disease or peripheral arterial disease (PAD), hyperlipidemia (elevated levels of fat in the blood), high blood pressure (hypertension) and family history of AAA.
“The goal of treatment is to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing. Generally, treatment options are medical monitoring or surgery and are based on the size of the aortic aneurysm and how fast it’s growing. At Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, our interventional cardiologists perform a procedure known as an Endovascular Aneurysm Repair or EVAR. This minimally invasive surgery involves insertion of a stent graft through a catheter placed in the femoral artery rather than open abdominal surgery,” explains Dr. Massumi, who cares for patients at Kelsey-Seybold’s Main Campus.