The contribution of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease to human morbidity and mortality has increased in the aging, industrialized world. In response, extraordinary efforts have been launched to determine the molecular and pathophysiological characteristics of the diseased aorta. This work aims to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to limit AAA expansion and, ultimately, r...

Aneurysms are common in our increasingly elderly population, and are a major threat to life and limb. Until the advent of vascular reconstructive techniques, aneurysm patients were subject to an overwhelming risk of death from exsanguination. The first successful repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm using an interposed arterial homograft was reported by Dubost in 1952. A milestone in the evol...

This article is a Directed Reading. Your access to Directed Reading quizzes for continuing education credit is determined by your membership status and CE preference. The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. Originating from the left ventricle, it extends into the chest and down into the abdomen. The vessel is the main conduit for distributing oxygenated blood from the heart to the bo...

The problems, results and treatment suggestions in regard to ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms are discussed.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential mechanisms promoting abdominal aortic aneurysm development with tobacco smoke (TS) exposure. METHODS AND RESULTS Experiments used the elastase perfusion model of abdominal aortic aneurysms with smoke-free controls. The effect of TS exposure was evaluated in C57/Bl6 mice, after broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibition with...

Mycotic infrarenal aortic aneurysms are rare and often masquerade as other abdominal pathology. We present a case where serial imaging made the diagnosis and provided an insight into the pathophysiology of mycotic aneurysm. A 71-year-old man presents with abdominal pain, rigours and dysuria. Computed tomography reveals an irregular, thickened ectatic abdominal aorta, but cholescintigraphy sugge...