Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, including details on aaa (abdominal aortic aneurism), cardiac disease, treatment, symptoms, surgery.

A review of biological factors implicated in abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

Choke E, Cockerill G, Wilson WR, Sayed S, Dawson J, Loftus I, Thompson MM

Department of Vascular Surgery, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is the 13th commonest cause of death in the Western World. Although considerable research has been applied to the aetiology and mechanism of aneurysm expansion, little is known about the mechanism of rupture. Aneurysm rupture was historically considered to be a simple physical process that occurred when the aortic wall could no longer contain the haemodynamic stress of the circulation. However, AAAs do not conform to the law of Laplace and there is growing evidence that aneurysm rupture involves a complex series of biological changes in the aortic wall. This paper reviews the available data on patient variables associated with aneurysm rupture and presents the evidence implicating biological factors in AAA rupture.

Published 2 August 2005 in Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg, 30(3): 227-44.
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