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Abnormally large aneurysm is not a wait-and-watch situation
By PETER GOTT, M.D. Newspaper Enterprise Association
Published: 11/4/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/4/2009 3:43 AM
Dear Dr. Gott:
My husband has a splenic-artery aneurysm. It is large, measuring 5.7 centimeters. It is on the bottom left side of his rib cage near the spleen and pancreas. In six months, it grew from 5.2 centimeters to its current size. He has seen a heart and vascular physician, but didn't feel the doctor knew enough about the situation to do the surgery.
Is it safe for him to wait and watch, or should he risk having surgery to repair it? What can he do in the meantime that will help him? Do you recommend any specialists for this type of surgery? Do you think it is better to just live with it and hope it doesn't burst or have the high-risk surgery?
In his early 70s, my husband is not overweight, and his blood pressure is stable. Less than a year ago, he had part of a kidney removed owing to cancer. He did not require radiation or chemotherapy since it was caught in the early stages. Could he have caught this aneurysm from the surgery?
Dear Reader:
Your husband has an abnormally large splenic-artery aneurysm (SAA), a stretched portion of the artery that provides blood to the spleen. Most are three centimeters or fewer. The larger the deformity, the greater the risk of rupture.
Splenic-artery aneurysms do not usually cause symptoms but those that do are generally associated with abdominal pain. An aneurysm is not "caught." It is caused when the arterial lining becomes weakened and the force of the blood flow causes it to bulge or expand outward.
I urge your husband to
be seen as soon as possible by a vascular surgeon. He or she can re-evaluate the situation and recommend treatment. I believe that your husband is a prime candidate for surgery because of the large size of the aneurysm and its rapid growth. At this point, the risk of rupture outweighs the risk of surgery.
Write Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave. 4th floor, New York, NY 10016.
By PETER GOTT, M.D. Newspaper Enterprise Association
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