Aortic aneurysm
An aortic aneurysm is a bulge or ballooning in your aorta, the main artery from your heart to your chest and stomach. Small aneurysms may never cause a problem, but large ones can weaken and burst. Our goal is to repair your aneurysm before that happens, and we offer many ways to do so.
The two types of aortic aneurysms are thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) in the chest and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in the stomach.
What you should know about aortic aneurysms:
- Aortic aneurysms usually do not have any symptoms. In fact, doctors tend to find them during imaging tests for other conditions.
- Your doctor will recommend whether you should have your aneurysm surgically repaired. Depending on the complexity and location of the aneurysm, we may be able to use minimally invasive techniques.
Why choose Geisinger for your aortic aneurysm care?
- Specialized care: Our vascular surgeons are all board certified, meaning they have passed a rigorous exam. Other hospitals send people with complex aortic aneurysms to Geisinger because of our specialized experience with aneurysm repair.
- Leading research: Through Geisinger’s MyCode genetic database, we have been collecting blood samples from people with aneurysms. Our goal is to pinpoint the genetic markers that cause people to develop aneurysms. Doing so allows us to better screen for aneurysms and catch them earlier, so we can treat them as soon as possible.
- Team approach: Aneurysm repair can range from minimally invasive endovascular approaches to advanced vascular surgery for life-threatening dissections (a ruptured aneurysm). Geisinger heart and vascular surgeons partner with cardiologists and vascular medicine specialists to determine the safest, most effective way to help you.
Treatment options
Our heart and vascular surgeons offer several ways to treat aortic aneurysms:
- Heart surgery
- Vascular surgery
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