Diagnostic Ultrasound

AAA is one of the top 10 reasons for death in white men over the age of 55

15,000 people die from AAA every year in the United States - and AAA is a disease that can be prevented with regular testing

An aneurysm is a bulge or ballooning of the wall of a blood vessel that has weakened. If the bulge stretches too far, it may leak or burst. Aneurysms are most common along the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart tot he rest of the body.

When a rupture occurs, the body fill with blood. The risk of dying from a ruptured aneurysm is about 90%.

Most aneurysms grow slowly. If you can imagine a balloon being blown up with air you notice the balloon becomes thinner and will "pop" easilty. The aorta is the same. Normally it is about as tough and wide as your garden hose (imagine that!), but the ballooning area can grow to the size of an orange. One-third of all aneurysms that are larger than 2 inches rupture within 5 years.

With ultrasound screening we can detect the aneurysm when it is less than 5 mm (under one quarter of an inch) - early enough for your doctor to manage it.

People with the greatest risk are white men over the age of 55. Men are three times more likely to have abdominal aortic aneurysms than women. Aneurysms appear to be caused by a congenital weakness in the vessel wall so look at your family history. Do you have high blood pressure, other vascular diseases (arteriosclerosis), or have you had any injuries to your chest or abdomen and do you smoke?

Because AAA takes so long to get to a dangerous point, most people who die did not recognize any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they might be pulsating sensations just below your heart that occur with your heartbeat. An aneurysm in the chest may affect swallowing if it presses on the esophagus. It may cause chest pain if it presses on the lungs. Pain also may be felt in the back and groin. People describe the pain associated with the rupture as severe or tearing.

Most of us are familiar with ultrasound of pregnant women to see the baby. We also use it to see inside arteries and veins. We use Doppler to evaluate the blood flow, just like the weather man on the news

We can make the blood flow look red or blue making it more visible to the eye. Measurements and calculations are made that tell us if there is disease.

It is painless and inexpensive - and can save your life.