Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)Symptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
The aorta is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to the upper body, abdomen, pelvis, and legs. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) occurs when an area of the aorta in the abdomen becomes very large or balloons out.
Aneurysm - aortic; AAA
The exact cause of an aneurysm is unknown. It occurs due to weakness in the wall of the artery. Factors that can increase your risk of having this problem include:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Male sex
- Genetic factors
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is most often seen in males over age 60 who have one or more risk factors. The larger the aneurysm, the more likely it is to break open or tear. This can be life threatening.
Aneurysms can develop slowly over many years, often with no symptoms. Symptoms may come on quickly if the aneurysm expands rapidly, tears open or leaks blood within the wall of the vessel (aortic dissection).
Symptoms of rupture include:
- Pain in the abdomen or back. The pain may be severe, sudden, persistent, or constant. It may spread to the groin, buttocks, or legs.
- Passing out.
- Clammy skin.
- Dizziness.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Rapid heart rate.
- Shock.
If you have bleeding inside your body from an aortic aneurysm, you will need surgery right away.
If the aneurysm is small and there are no symptoms:
- Surgery is rarely done.
- You and your provider must decide if the risk of having surgery is smaller than the risk of bleeding if you do not have surgery.
- Your provider will want to check the size of the aneurysm with ultrasound tests done over time - most often months and years. The recommended frequency depends on the size of your aneurysm. Ask your provider what is best for you.
Most of the time, surgery is done if the aneurysm is bigger than 2 inches (5 centimeters) across or growing quickly. The goal is to do surgery before complications develop.
There are two types of surgery:
- Open repair - A large cut is made in your abdomen. The abnormal vessel is replaced with a graft made of man-made material.
- Endovascular stent grafting - This procedure can be done without making a large cut in your abdomen, so you may recover more quickly. This may be a safer approach if you have certain other medical problems or are an older adult. Endovascular repair can sometimes be done for a leaking or bleeding aneurysm.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Marc Schermerhorn is a Vascular Surgeon practicing medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Schermerhorn is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). He is also highly rated in 26 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), Carotid Artery Disease, Aneurysm Repair, and Carotid Artery Surgery. Dr. Schermerhorn is board certified in American Board Of Surgery.
Baylor Medicine - Vascular Surgery
Dr. Gustavo Oderich focuses on the clinical evaluation, open surgical and endovascular treatment of aneurysms, dissections, trauma, and aortic pathology involving any segment of the aorta, including the aortoiliac, juxtarenal, pararenal, complex abdominal, thoracoabdominal and aortic arch.He has broad and extensive experience in a wide spectrum of arterial and venous diseases affecting all vascular beds, including carotid, supra-aortic trunk, upper and lower extremity, abdominal and pelvic vessels.He is a world-renowned authority on innovative minimally invasive endovascular techniques to treat complex aortic aneurysms using fenestrated and branched stent grafts. Dr. Oderich has several firsts, including the “first-in-man” implant of the antegrade WL Gore TAMBE stent-graft (Thoraco-Abdominal Multi-Branch Endoprosthesis), the first-in-man implant of the Cook ZFEN Plus stent-graft and the first-in-man total trans-femoral three vessel arch device using antegrade branches. Dr. Oderich extensive clinical experience includes thousands of patients treated by open surgical and endovascular procedures. He has performed over 2,000 standard endovascular and thoracic aortic repairs (EVARs/TEVARs) and nearly 900 fenestrated-branched, fenestrated and branched endovascular repairs (FB-EVAR, FEVAR, BEVAR).Dr. Oderich clinical experience as a leader in vascular surgery spans over two decades. He has a versatile open surgical and endovascular practice that also includes the management of carotid, supra-aortic trunk, renal, and mesenteric artery diseases. He is involved in the multidisciplinary care of patients with connective tissue or heritable disorders including Marfan’s, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome and Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Dr. Oderich is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). He is also highly rated in 22 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), Aortic Dissection, Aneurysm Repair, and Stent Placement. Dr. Oderich is currently accepting new patients.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Sean Lyden is a Vascular Surgeon practicing medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been practicing medicine for over 37 years. Dr. Lyden is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). He is also highly rated in 23 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), Carotid Artery Disease, Aneurysm Repair, and Angioplasty. Dr. Lyden is board certified in Alliance For Physician Certification And Advancement, 2009.
The outcome is often good if you have surgery to repair the aneurysm before it ruptures.
When an abdominal aortic aneurysm begins to tear or ruptures, it is a medical emergency. Only about 1 in 5 people survive a ruptured abdominal aneurysm.
Go to the emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number if you have pain in your belly or back that is very bad or does not go away.
To reduce the risk of aneurysms:
- Eat a heart-healthy diet, exercise, stop smoking (if you smoke), and reduce stress.
- If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, take your medicines as your provider has told you.
People over age 65 who have ever smoked should have a screening ultrasound done once.
Summary: the comparison of physician-modified stent-graft created in 3D models versus custom-made devices in the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysm
Summary: fenCo is a European multicentre, prospective study to evaluate the use of the iCover covered stents as bridging stents for reno-visceral target vessel during fEVAR for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Published Date: July 21, 2025
Published By: Deepak Sudheendra, MD, MHCI, RPVI, FSIR, CEO & Medical Director, 360 Vascular Institute, with an expertise in Vascular Interventional Radiology & Surgical Critical Care, Columbus, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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