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What does AAA mean in medical terms?

I know what is it, since I am reading it from my medical vocabulary book. It says it is a procedure for surgical correction of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is related to aging. But exactly what is a abdominal aortic aneurysm? And what type of surgery are they talking about?

Public Comments

1. http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=abdominal%20aortic%20aneurysm&sourceType=undefined
2. ok now that you have the vocabulary book try reading the medical dictionary.
3. There is a thinning of the aortic wall that is potentially deadly if it ruptures as a person can bleed to death in a matter of seconds. It is repaired by the surgery by reinforcing the weakened wall with a mesh type material.
4. Amazingly Aspiring Antioxident!
5. abdominal = stomach Aortic = one of the main arteries that supplies blood to various parts of the body aneurysm = a bubble like protrusion or a weakening in the wall of the artery To fix it, the doctors must go in and put a patch over the area that is weakened (much like repairing a bicycle tire). This will prevent the wall of the artery from deteriorating any further. AAA if left untreated is a very dangerous diagnosis, but with repair a person can live a very normal healthy life.
6. AAA is an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It is also an abbreviation for the surgery that corrects it. The aorta is the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. AAA's are usually referring to the part of the aorta that starts below the point where the renal arteries come off, down to the part where the aorta splits into the iliac arteries. If the wall of the aorta becomes weakened, it will balloon out, and that's an aneurysm. It can occur in other arteries too. This site has lots of good information on the condition and the repair options. http://www.vascularweb.org/_CONTRIBUTION_PAGES/Patient_Information/NorthPoint/Abdominal_Aortic_Aneurysm.html Hope that helps.
7. In AAA the vessel supplying blood to the abdomen is enlarged/abnormal. It is repaired with surgery. It can be open surgery in which the abdomen is cut open and the vessel is replaced with man made material. The other way is done by threading a stent through the groin to support the vessel. With this one recovery is usually quicker but only the doctor can determine if the less invasive type is an option.