How is an aortic aneurysm diagnosed?
• Sometimes a doctor feels the bulge of an aortic aneurysm during a routine examination of the abdomen. However, many aortic aneurysms are too small to feel. • An x-ray of the abdomen (often done for other reasons) will show calcium deposits lining the wall of the aneurysm in some, but not all, cases. • An ultrasound scan is the easiest way to detect an aortic aneurysm. This is a painless test. (It is the same type of scan that pregnant women have to look at the baby in the womb.) The size of the aneurysm can also be measured by ultrasound. As discussed later, it is important to know the size. • More detailed scans, such as a CT scan, are only needed if your doctor needs to know whether the aneurysm is affecting any of the arteries that come off the aorta. For instance, if the aneurysm involves the arteries to the kidneys then surgeons need this information if they plan to operate.
