In the center of the body is a large blood vessel called the aorta, which is responsible for carrying blood to each of the limbs. Usually, it is smooth and somewhat elastic, so it can withstand the force of the blood that is pumping through it. But if it becomes injured for any reason, it can begin to bulge out at the sides, so it is then referred to as an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Since an abdominal aortic aneurysm is a life threatening condition, it is important to understand how it is diagnosed, what the causes and risk factors of it are, and how it is treated.
There are four different classes of abdominal aortic aneurysms, which are all dependent on its size. The first one is an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is when the aorta has just began to bulge out some. As the bulge begins to increase in size a little more, it then becomes classified as a juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. Next, is a pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. And the final stage is the suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is the most serious because it means that the aorta is going to rupture at any time.
