What is an aneurysm?

My mother has been diagnosed with non-small cell carcinoma in the lung and an aneurysm above the kidneys....



I understand the cancer, but could you explain what the aneurysm is and what possible affect it can have on her wellbeing?


I'm sorry to hear about your mother's illness.

I assume her aneurysm was noticed when she had abdominal scans to check for any spread of the cancer. It must be an incidental discovery and unlikely to be directly related to her lung condition.

An aneurysm is a swollen or dilated artery.

It happens when the furring-up process of atherosclerosis weakens the arterial wall.

Atherosclerosis is often made worse by high blood pressure and smoking.

You occasionally hear of aneurysms linked to inherited conditions, but this isn't the case for those affecting the larger abdominal arteries.

The main concern with any dilated artery is that with the passage of time it could expand, become weak and then rupture. This is serious and requires major emergency surgery for rescue.

Dilated arteries can also become a source of a blood clot that may break-off and float downstream (emboli), damaging the organ supplied by the vessel.

There's a possibility that an aneurysm close to the kidneys may affect their function.

It's for these reasons that an aneurysm above a certain size, showing a tendency to expand or causing a problem with blood supply, might be considered for routine surgery.

This usually involves replacing the damaged artery with a synthetic pipe through an incision (a graft).

Alternatively, a small tube may be inserted via another artery that carries an expandable pipe (an endograft or endovascular stent) that can spring open and support the artery from the inside.

Treatment depends on the size and location of the aneurysm and if it's causing any problems.

The overall health of the patient needs to be taken into account and the balance of benefit and risk with routine surgery has to be considered.

Many aneurysms don't cause any trouble. They're just monitored with regular ultrasound scans and can be ignored, providing they remain below a certain size.

Your mother's condition sounds complicated. Her specialist will be able to put her aneurysm into some sort of perspective for you.

It might be worth asking your mother if you can be present when they come to discuss it with her.

Yours sincerely

The NetDoctor Medical Team

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