Aortic Aneurysms

Balloon-shaped bulges in the aorta, also known as aortic aneurysms, can develop anywhere along a weak spot in the wall of the aorta. Left untreated, aortic aneurysms can sometimes rupture due to force of the blood flow, leading to blood pooling between layers of the aortic wall. Invasive surgery is often needed to treat this disease. Watch the videos below to learn more about the pathophysiology of different aortic aneurysms!

Self-Assessment Questions:

Click here to test your understanding of Aortic Aneurysms.

Discussion Questions:

1. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is an invasive treatment of coronary artery disease where a graft is used to bypass a plaque blockage in a coronary artery to provide blood flow to cardiac tissue. Often, the saphenous vein from the leg is used as the graft (see Caliskan et al. on saphenous vein grafts in contemporary CABG surgery). When performing a CABG with this graft, the surgeon must be careful to attach the distal end of the vein to the aorta and the proximal end of the vein to the coronary artery. Why does this orientation matter?
2. Why do you think arteries and veins have different structures? If they are both hollow tubes to transport blood throughout the body, why are they so different mechanically?
3. Computational methods allow researchers to model a given patient’s abdominal aortic aneurysm and assess the risk of rupture. What are some factors that may increase the risk of rupture? You may refer to the source on patient-specific aneurysm modeling.
4. The video mentioned that compliance is generally higher for veins compared to arteries. Imagine a diseased patient with veins whose compliance is lower than healthy artery compliance. What are some potential causes of this condition?
5. Search the literature for descriptions of the role of elastin and collagen in blood vessels, particularly arteries. How might elastin and collagen play a role in the formation of aortic aneurysms?

Continue Reading:

• S. J. Haller, A. F. Azarbal, and S. Rugonyi, “Predictors of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Risks,” Bioengineering, vol. 7, no. 3, p. 79, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.3390/bioengineering7030079.
  • This review investigates relationships between abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture risks and biomechanics, via computational methods.
• E. Caliskan et al., “Saphenous vein grafts in contemporary coronary artery bypass graft surgery,” Nat Rev Cardiol, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 155–169, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41569-019-0249-3.
  • This review explores the usage of saphenous vein grafts in CABG surgery and overviews current vein graft failure prevention methods. Note: This article may not be available due to subscription permissions.
• A. Mathur, V. Mohan, D. Ameta, B. Gaurav, and P. Haranahalli, “Aortic aneurysm,” J Transl Int Med, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 35–41, Apr. 2016, doi: 10.1515/jtim-2016-0008.
  • This article overviews the pathophysiology and treatment of aortic aneurysms.

About the Creator:

This video was produced by a student in the Rice Bioengineering Class of 2023 (used with permission).