Aortic Aneurysms

Aortic aneurysms are common and may be lethal if undetected and leading to rupture. Aortic disease is among the leading cause of death in the United States with aneurysm disease specifically being the 13th leading cause. Along with increasing life expectancy, the frequency with which cardiovascular specialists will encounter patients with aortic disease is also increasing. Therefore, it is important that physicians who deal with the aging population, such as cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, and cardiologists be familiar with the diagnosis and management principles of aortic aneurysms. The lack of effective medical therapy makes timely surgical intervention the only viable treatment option for aortic aneurysms once they attain a certain diameter. Unfortunately, aortic aneurysms are clinically silent until patients present with catastrophic aortic rupture.

Until the last one to two decades, treatment of aortic disease primarily relied on open surgical procedures, involving large incisions with associated significant morbidity and mortality risk. Although such open surgical procedures are effective and durable, endovascular therapies have evolved to replace open surgical procedures in many instances. In addition, endovascular therapies in many instances complement open surgical procedures to provide hybrid approaches to certain aneurysms, potentially lessening the risk of morbidity and rehabilitation.