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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

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Vascular Diseases for the Non-Specialist

Abstract

Aneurysm is a permanent focal dilatation of the blood vessel greater than 50 % of its expected normal diameter. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is the most frequent extracranial aneurysm, also defined as aortic transverse diameter greater than 3 cm. There is a risk of rupture or embolization in some aneurysms. In these cases, it is necessary to perform a prophylactic surgical repair in order to avoid severe complications, including death. If rupture or embolization occurs, surgical treatment can be made urgently. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a major public health issue and is considered as a “silent killer.” It is the third cause of sudden death, the 15th general cause of death in general population and the tenth cause of death in men older than 55 years old in the United States. It is more frequent than breast, uterus, and prostate cancers. Aneurysms have a strong association with smoking. It also shares some others risk factors for atherosclerosis like male gender, systemic hypertension, and old age but not diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. The treatment approach for abdominal aortic aneurysms is based on the natural history of the disease, balancing the risk of rupture and the risk of the intervention and the patient’s life expectancy. Special attention should be given to patients presenting with signs and symptoms of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. This situation is a medical emergency.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Hospital das Clínicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 110, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 30130-100, Brazil

    Guilherme de Castro Santos M.Sc., M.D.

  2. Department of Surgery, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 110, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 30130-100, Brazil

    Raquel Ferreira Nogueira M.D.

  3. Hospital Risoleta Tolentino Neves, Rua Das Gabirobas, 1, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31744-012, Brazil

    Carolina Ribeiro dos Santos M.D.

Authors
  1. Guilherme de Castro Santos M.Sc., M.D.
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  2. Raquel Ferreira Nogueira M.D.
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  3. Carolina Ribeiro dos Santos M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guilherme de Castro Santos M.Sc., M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Tulio Pinho Navarro

  2. Yale Univ School Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Alan Dardik

  3. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Daniela Junqueira

  4. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizone, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Ligia Cisneros

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Santos, G.d.C., Nogueira, R.F., dos Santos, C.R. (2017). Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. In: Navarro, T., Dardik, A., Junqueira, D., Cisneros, L. (eds) Vascular Diseases for the Non-Specialist. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46059-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46059-8_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-46057-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46059-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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