Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which doctor treats abdominal aortic aneurysm?

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is treated by a vascular surgeon.

2. Is abdominal aortic aneurysm dangerous?

Most abdominal aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic. They can therefore be very dangerous since the patient might not realize that he is suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysm until it ruptures. Around 3/4^th of the patients with rupture die before reaching the hospital.

3. Why not directly repair small aneurysms instead of medical monitoring until they grow up to 5 cm?

There is a risk of operative mortality involved with surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Therefore, doctors prefer not to put the patient at risk of mortality until extremely necessary.

4. Can abdominal aortic aneurysm be more harmful if it occurs during pregnancy?

Abdominal aortic aneurysms are rare in women especially in the fertile age group. But if it happens in rarest cases, studies have proved that pregnancy hastens aneurysm growth because of hormonal changes and therefore, the risk of rupture increases during pregnancy.

5. When to suspect a rupture?

If a patient presents with sudden onset of abdominal or back ache and extremely low blood pressure, suspect an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

Published on May 08, 2017
Last Updated on May 08, 2017