Everything You Should Know About Aortic Aneurysm

An aortic aneurysm can develop silently for years before it affects you. This bulge in your body’s main artery often appears during routine scans for unrelated health concerns.

At Advanced Cardiovascular Care, Inc., in Riverside, California, board-certified cardiologist Syed W. Bokhari, MD, FACC, FSVM, repairs these dangerous enlargements to prevent them from rupturing.

Your aorta supplies oxygen to your entire body

Your heart pumps blood directly into the aorta, which carries it down through your chest and belly. This main vessel branches out to your brain, arms, legs, and organs throughout your body.

When a section of your aortic wall weakens, it can expand under pressure. This ballooning effect creates an aneurysm that can seriously affect your health.

The location matters greatly for treatment planning. Aneurysms in the chest require different repair approaches than those in the abdominal section. Dr. Bokhari’s certification in thoracic (TEVAR) and abdominal (EVAR) techniques proves crucial for comprehensive care.

Most patients have no warning signs until scanning reveals the problem

Aortic aneurysms rarely cause obvious signs. You might not notice these enlargements unless you get a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound for a different problem.

This silent progression makes regular screening essential for high-risk patients. Several factors elevate your aneurysm risk:

• Being older than 65
• History of smoking or current tobacco use
• High blood pressure that damages arterial walls over time
• Family history of aneurysms or other vascular conditions

Genetic factors can weaken arterial walls over time, making some people more susceptible regardless of lifestyle choices.

The absence of symptoms makes aneurysms particularly dangerous, as you can feel perfectly healthy while carrying a potentially life-threatening condition.

Rupture carries devastating consequences

When an aortic aneurysm bursts, massive internal bleeding begins immediately. The mortality rate for ruptured aneurysms remains high despite advances in emergency medicine and surgical techniques.

This stark reality underscores why Dr. Bokhari focuses on detecting and repairing aneurysms before rupture occurs. Elective repair procedures carry much lower risks than emergency operations performed after rupture. 

Modern stent graft techniques offer less invasive options

Dr. Bokhari performs endovascular aneurysm repair using specialized stent grafts inserted through small groin incisions. This approach avoids the large chest or abdominal incisions required for traditional open surgery.

EVAR treats abdominal aneurysms 

During an EVAR procedure for an abdominal aneurysm, Dr. Bokhari guides the stent graft through your femoral artery using X-ray imaging. The device opens inside the aneurysm, creating a new pathway for blood flow while relieving pressure on the weakened arterial wall.

TEVAR addresses chest aneurysms 

A TEVAR procedure addresses thoracic aneurysms using a similar approach but requires different positioning and sizing considerations. 

Both techniques allow the aneurysm to shrink around the stent graft over time, effectively removing the rupture risk.

Long-term monitoring continues your protection

Successful aneurysm repair requires ongoing surveillance to confirm the stent graft continues functioning properly. Regular imaging studies check for changes in the repair site or the development of new aneurysms in other locations.

These follow-up appointments also allow Dr. Bokhari to monitor your overall cardiovascular health and adjust medications as needed. Managing blood pressure and other risk factors helps protect against future aneurysm development.

Aortic aneurysms are serious cardiovascular conditions that benefit enormously from early detection and treatment. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Bokhari today to discuss your aneurysm risk factors and screening options. 

Call Advanced Cardiovascular Care, Inc. or book an appointment online to protect your vascular health.