Patient with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Urges Screenings

By Katrina Dupins

An aneurysm is an enlargement or ballooning of a blood vessel. Palmer’s was in the aorta, the main blood vessel in the body that extends from the heart through the abdomen and into the pelvis. More specifically, the aneurysm was in the part of the aorta located in his abdomen.

Because aneurysms often cause no symptoms, an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can grow to a dangerous size and rupture without the patient knowing it’s there. If it ruptures, it is often fatal.

“You have to be checked,” Palmer said. “I was told if it burst, that was it.”

The aorta carries blood from the heart to the legs, arms and other organs. Mohammed Moursi, M.D., professor of vascular surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine and division chief of vascular and endovascular surgery, says the aorta tends to enlarge as a person ages and can become prone to forming aneurysms.

Chester Palmer UAMS

Chester Palmer, 77, recently had an aneurysm the size of a grapefruit removed from his aorta.

Twelve years ago, Palmer went to his urologist for an unrelated pain that he thought was a kidney stone.

“They did an x-ray and a CT scan. I didn’t have a kidney stone,” Palmer said. But they did discover I had an AAA. From that, I had no pain, no symptoms, nothing.”

Other than rupturing, Moursi says an aneurysm that size can have other effects on the body. It can clot off or push on structures next to the aorta like the vena cava, the largest vein in the body.

Palmer’s internist monitored the aneurysm. When it got to a size that was concerning, he referred Palmer to Moursi because it was located above his kidney arteries.

“The aorta in a normal size male is about 2 centimeters,” Moursi said. “We get concerned when it becomes more than 5 centimeters. Then it has greater potential of developing an aneurysm. We want to fix it at that point before it causes a problem.” Palmer said he feels at ease knowing it has been removed and that it can’t harm him.

“Dr. Moursi told my son it was the size of a grapefruit,” Palmer said. “I never knew it was there. That’s why I cannot stress enough how important it is for people to be screened.”

Risk factors that would prompt a screening include a history of smoking, family history of AAA and being over age 65.