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 traveling 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. Medicines and surgery are the two main treatments for aneurysms.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Aneurysm
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/arm/arm_what.html
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Aneurysms and Dissections(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics/Cond/Aneurysm.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics_Esp/Cond/aneur_sp.cfm
- Women Smokers Prone to Dangerous Blood Vessel Condition(10/15/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70474.html
- Brain Aneurysm Rupture Risk Tied to Location, Size(09/25/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69731.html
- Angiogram(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Angiogram.html
- Brain Aneurysm Symptoms(Brain Aneurysm Foundation) - http://www.bafound.org/info/symptoms.php
- CT Angiography(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/CT_Scan.html
- Duplex Ultrasound(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Duplex_Ultrasound.html
- Magnetic Resonance Angiography(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Magnetic_Resonance_Angiography.html
- Thunderclap Headaches(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/thunderclap-headaches/DS00644/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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What You Need to Know about Angiography(American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/angiography_eng.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/angiography_span.pdf
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Treatments(Society of Interventional Radiology) - http://www.sirweb.org/patients/abdominal-aortic-aneurysms/
- Brain Aneurysm Treatment Options(Brain Aneurysm Foundation) - http://www.bafound.org/treatment/
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Detachable Coil Embolization(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=dc-embol
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=dc-embol
- Endovascular Stent Graft for Abdominal and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Endovascular_Stent_Graft.html
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Neurosurgery - What Is It?
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/whatisneurosurgery/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/whatisneurosurgeryspanish/htm/index.htm - Surgical Aneurysm Repair(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Surgical_Aneurysm_Repair.html
- Treatment Options for Cerebral Aneurysms(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/treatment.asp
- Task Force Recommends Male Smokers Between the Ages of 65 and 75 Be Screened for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2005/tfaaapr.htm
- Brain Aneurysm Recovery(Brain Aneurysm Foundation) - http://www.bafound.org/support/recovery.php
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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/abdominalaorticaneurysm/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/abdominalaorticaneurysmspanish/htm/index.htm
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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA): What You Should Know(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/883.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/883.printerview.html
- Aortic Aneurysms(Society of Thoracic Surgeons) - http://www.sts.org/sections/patientinformation/aneurysmsurgery/aorticaneurysms/index.html
- Aortic Dissection(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/118/14/e507
- Aortic Dissection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/aortic-dissection/DS00605/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Brain Aneurysm(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/brain-aneurysm/DS00582/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Carotid Artery Dissection: What Are the Signs and Symptoms(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/carotid-artery-dissection/AN00977/METHOD=print
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Cerebral Aneurysm(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_aneurysm/cerebral_aneurysm.htm
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Cerebral Aneurysm(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_aneurysm/detail_cerebral_aneurysm.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/Aneurismas_Cerebrales.htm
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JAMA Patient Page: Aortic Aneurysms(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/297/4/430.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/297/4/430/DC1/1
- Peripheral Aneurysms(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Peripheral_Aneurysms.html
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage(Brain Aneurysm Foundation) - http://www.bafound.org/info/subarachnoid.php
- Thoracic Aneurysm(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Thoracic_Aneurysm.html
- Unruptured Brain Aneurysms(Brain Aneurysm Foundation) - http://www.bafound.org/info/unruptured.php
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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/abdominalaorticaneurysm/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/abdominalaorticaneurysmspanish/htm/index.htm
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Neurosurgery - What Is It?(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/whatisneurosurgery/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/whatisneurosurgeryspanish/htm/index.htm
- Clipping and Coiling: Treatment Options for Brain Aneurysms(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 8/01/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=325
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Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 12/05/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/wlg_1903/rnh.cfm?id=675
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Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 5/20/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/thj_2252/rnh.cfm?id=736
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Endovascular Repair of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 5/17/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=536
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Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 11/06/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/wlg_1905/rnh.cfm?id=663
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Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 11/16/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/wlg_1906/rnh.cfm?id=653
- Endovascular Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 3/1/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=413
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If I Had - The Worst Headache of My Life(Insidermedicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_-_The_Worst_Headache_of_My_Life_-_Dr_Steven_Chang_MD_2505.aspx?p=mdlnp
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Innovative Valve-Sparing Surgical Procedure for Aortic Root Aneurysm(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/12/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=587
- Minimally Invasive Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 12/14/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=391
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Minimally Invasive Repair of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 5/22/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=537
- Repair of a Migrated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Endovascular Graft(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=215
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Aneurysm(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Aneurysm%22
- Close Relatives of Intracranial Aneurysm Patients May Have Increased Risk of Condition(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=341
- State of the Art of Medicine: Deciding on Preventive Screening Tests After Bleeding in the Brain(American Academy of Neurology) - http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/full/70/22/e92?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits=20&RESULTFORMAT=&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&displaysectionid=Patient+Pages&resourcetype=HWCIT
- Study Uncovers Possible Key to Improving Diagnosis of Acute Aortic Dissection(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=477
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Abdominal aortic aneurysm events in the women's health initiative: cohort... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18854591&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Intravascular ultrasound imaging as applied to the aorta: a new... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18805213&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: My doctor told me I have an aneurysm in my... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18754119&tool=MedlinePlus
- Aneurysms -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=aortic+aneurysm[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt]))&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Cerebral aneurysms -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=intracranial+aneurysm[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt]))&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Coronary and heart anuerysms -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(coronary+aneurysm[majr]+OR+heart+aneurysm[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dissecting aneurysms -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=aneurysm,dissecting[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Ruptured aneurysms -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=aneurysm,ruptured[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Neurosurgical Terms(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/glossary.asp
- Find a Vascular Specialist(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/Member_Search/Physician_Search.html
- Find an Accredited Echocardiography Laboratory or Vascular Laboratory(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3333
- Brain Aneurysm Foundation - http://www.bafound.org/
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
- Aneurysms(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2162/mainpageS2162P17.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Aneurysms is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/