What is a Visceral Aneurysm?

Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When the wall of an artery becomes weak and develops a bulge, we call it an aneurysm. Aneurysms can cause pain, clammy skin, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart rate, shock, and low blood pressure. We worry about aneurysms because they can rupture, or break, and lead to internal bleeding. This can be a life-threatening event. Vascular and Interventional physicians treat the following conditions:

• Peripheral aneurysms that occur in an artery other than the aorta and mostly affect the legs or neck.
• Renal aneurysms that affect the artery in the kidney.
• Splenic aneurysms that occur in an artery in the spleen.

How are Visceral Aneurysms Treated?

We design a treatment plan to meet your individual needs. Depending on the condition, we offer specific treatment options. For the conditions that we treat most, the treatment options are:

• Embolization
  Coil and plug embolization are minimally invasive (endovascular) approaches. This means you recover more quickly and have fewer complications than patients who have had open surgery. This technique works best for peripheral, visceral, and renal aneurysms. We insert tiny thread-like material through small tubes, called catheters, into the arteries in your leg or wrist. We direct these catheters to the aneurysm. Then we keep the aneurysm from receiving more blood flow. This approach stops the aneurysm from growing and often makes it shrink and disappear.
• Covered Stent Repair
  This approach lets us treat almost any aneurysm in the body without damaging nearby organs. We insert a tube, called a stent, which acts as a new lining for the diseased blood vessel. This allows the vessel to heal. We have found this approach most effective for aortic or iliac aneurysms.

Peripheral aneurysm treatments vary based on your health as well as the location and size of the aneurysm. The condition of the surrounding blood vessels may also affect treatment. Our physicians may prescribe a lifestyle change and regular follow-up for smaller aneurysms. For larger aneurysms, we may suggest an open surgical repair to remove the aneurysm and replace it with a graft, or a minimally invasive endovascular repair.

Renal aneurysms are bulging weakened areas in the wall of an artery that leads to the kidney. These aneurysms are typically uncommon. Small renal artery aneurysms often may not be treated but monitored for growth. We often treat larger renal aneurysms by occluding the aneurysm in a procedure called embolization.

Splenic aneurysms are the most common of visceral artery aneurysms. They happen more often to women than men. If you have a splenic aneurysm, you may not feel any symptoms. We usually recommend treatment with large asymptomatic splenic aneurysms.