Verified Document

History And Advancements In Diagnosis Term Paper

¶ … misconception in people that having an aneurysm means bleeding in the brain. An aneurysm is in fact a balloon-like swelling in a blood vessel that can affect any large vessel in your body; these larger vessels being arteries. Aneurysms pose a risk to health from the potential for rupture, clotting, or dissecting. It is the pressure of the blood passing through a weak part of the blood vessel that forces it to bulge outwards, forming a sort of a blister. If the sac that is formed extends the artery too far, the vessel may burst, causing death by bleeding. Rupture of an aneurysm in the brain causes stroke, and rupture of an aneurysm in the abdomen causes shock. (THIJ, 2001) Aneurysms are the cause of many deaths because they are usually silent until a medical emergency occurs. "One author has referred to an AAA as a "U-boat" in the belly, because they are silent, deep, deadly, and detectable by sound waves." (Tilson)

It is extremely difficult to diagnose an aneurysm. Having a thin body and a moderately large sized aneurysm is the ideal conditions in which you or your doctor may be able to detect one. Most of the aneurysms are discovered as a result of medical imaging for other conditions, by ultrasound exams, CAT scans, MRI's, or even plain X-rays of the abdomen. Aneurysms are...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The size and location can be found through echocardiography or radiological imaging, such as arteriography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed topography (CT) scanning.
It is very hard to detect aneurysms as their symptoms are not provocative. "Abdominal aortic aneurysms may cause pain or tenderness below your stomach, make you less hungry, or give you an upset stomach. Cerebral (brain) aneurysms may have no symptoms, although you may have headaches, pain in your neck and face, or trouble seeing and talking." (THIJ, 2001)

The treatment of aneurysms depends on the size and location of the aneurysm and the overall health of the patient. "The aneurysms in the upper chest, the ascending aorta are usually operated on right away. Aneurysms in the lower chest and the area below your stomach, the descending and abdominal parts of the aorta may not be as life-threatening." (THIJ, 2001)

Most nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhages are caused by intracranial saccular (berry) aneurysms. An aneurysm is a pathologic widening of the arterial lumen. The major types of intracranial aneurysms are (1) dissecting aneurysms, which are rare and usually involve the extracranial arteries; (2)…

Sources used in this document:
References

Lieber, B.B, and Wakhloo, A.K. (1996) Optimization of Stents for cerebrovascular disorders using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Particle Image Velocimetry. http://www.mae.buffalo.edu/research/summaries/1996 / (Accessed April 7, 2002)

Minyard. Andrea N, MD, and Parker, Joseph C. JR., MD, (1997) Intracranial Saccular (Berry) Aneurysm: A Brief Overview. http://www.sma.org/smj/97july2.htm, Louisville, Ky. (Accessed April 7, 2002)

Petito CK (1993) Cerebrovascular diseases. Principles and Practice of Neuropathology. St. Louis, Mosby-Year Book Inc., pp 436-458

Stehbens WE (1995) Aneurysms. Vascular Pathology. London, Chapman and Hall Medical, pp 379-400
Tilson, M. David, MD Professor of Surgery Columbia University, http://www.columbia.edu/~mdt1/faqs.html, (Accessed April 7, 2002)
Texas Heart Institute Journal, http://www.tmc.edu/thi/aneurysm.html,©; Copyright 1996-2002 Texas Heart Institute. (Accessed April 7, 2002)
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Atherosclerosis Factors That Influence Disease
Words: 829 Length: 2 Document Type: Discussion Chapter

The idea that animal fat consumption causes heart disease is perhaps the most controversial component of the standard preventative advice given to reduce heart disease. This association is based upon the research of Ancel Keyes, who compared heart disease rates in the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Italy, and Japan and found that lower rates of heart disease were manifested in countries with less saturated fat consumption. However, there are

Rheumatoid Arthritis & Atherosclerosis: Is
Words: 2681 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Proposal

Though this work focuses specifically on the risk factors of atherosclerosis for RA patients and how to better identify them prior to clinical presentation of atherosclerosis the work is also insightful in that it builds a case for the connection between RA clinical presentations and atherosclerosis, in general. To move forward from this progressive idea is the fact that research has indicated that there is an even greater connection

Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis
Words: 1802 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis Artery diseases are of immense concern to medical researchers due to the cause and effect relationship shared with heart disease and cardiovascular mortality. Atherosclerosis is one of the diseases earning such focus from researchers because of its multifactorial nature, and its period of development which typically occurs years before clinical symptoms are apparent. Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arterial wall that promotes several common causes of cardiovascular

Heart Disease and Gender
Words: 809 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Atherosclerosis Factors That Influence Disease Factors that influence disease: Atherosclerosis and gender Atherosclerosis is often colloquially referred to as the 'hardening of the arteries.' In a patient with atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the patient's blood vessels which are required to "carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body" (What is atherosclerosis, 2013, NIH). Impeding this flow can have severe health effects, including coronary and cardioid heart disease as

Heart Disease
Words: 591 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Atherosclerosis and the various complications associated with this disease, especially towards its final stages, may causes disability and death within Western societies. Although advancement of atherosclerosis is a slow process, beginning in childhood, remaining asymptomatic for several decades, complication like myocardial infarction, peripheral ischemia, or stroke happening later on in life. Some recognized risk factors towards the development of the illness include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidaemia, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and

Healthy Individual Is Infected With a Bacteria
Words: 2426 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

healthy individual is infected with a bacteria or virus, the body identifies the virus as an invader, and therefore produces the antibodies, which is the human body's immune system, to destroy the virus to assist the person to recover and become healthy. Meanwhile, vaccination is the process of stimulating the active immune system to fight disease in the body, and vaccine will boost the body active immunity to fight

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now