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Summary
An aneurysm is a bulge or "ballooning" in the wall of an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body. If an aneurysm grows large, it can burst and cause dangerous bleeding or even death.
Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, the main artery that runs from the heart through the chest and abdomen. Aneurysms also can happen in arteries in the brain, heart and other parts of the body. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it causes a stroke.
Aneurysms can develop and become large before causing any symptoms. Often doctors can stop aneurysms from bursting if they find and treat them early. They use imaging tests to find aneurysms. Often aneurysms are found by chance during tests done for other reasons. Medicines and surgery are the two main treatments for aneurysms.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
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Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
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Tests for Lung Disease
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Also in Spanish
- Ultrasound -- Vascular (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Aneurysm Repair (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
- Catheter Embolization (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Pseudoaneurysm: What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Aneurysm
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Glossary (Vascular Cures)
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Patient Handouts
- Aneurysm (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Magnetic resonance angiography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish