Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
The term abdominal may lead you to believe that this aneurysm is in your stomach, but aortic aneurysm commonly occurs in the aorta immediately below the kidneys but above the iliac arteries going to the legs. An aneurysm here is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The aorta is the main trunk of the arterial system. It carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body. An aneurysm is an abnormal widening of an artery, in this case the aorta. This means that the artery stretches to more than 1.5 times its normal diameter. As blood pumps through, this stretching weakens the artery's wall, often creating an egg-shaped ballooning. |
 Guidebook on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
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