H. CHARLES-HARRIS, MD & ASSOCIATES
BREAST, GENERAL, VASCULAR, ENDOVASCULAR & ROBOTIC SURGERY
DIAGNOSIS Q&A: A CASE STUDY
QUESTION
What is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm?
ANSWER
An abdominal aortic aneuyrsm involves the aorta, the largest artery in the body which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. An aneuysm is a weak spot in the wall of the aorta where a bulge develops. The most common cause (about 80%) of aortic aneurysms is "hardening of the arteries" called arteriosclerosis. This weakens the aortic wall so pressure from the pumping of the blood through the aorta causes an expansion at the site of weakness. This can lead to a rupture of that area of the aorta, a terribly emergent situation from which most patients die due to internal blood loss if not treated immediately.
One of the Largest Ruptures in Medical Literature
Repaired by Dr. Hakan Charles-Harris in Miami, Florida!
Dr. Charles-Harris has repaired numerous bulging aortic aneurysms in addition to saving the lives of several patients who suffered from the emergency of a ruptured aortic aneurysm! The largest ruptured abdominal aneurysm he repaired was 11 centimeters in diameter!
Try to imagine a 11 centimeter weakness, causing a hole in your aorta where blood pours out into the abdomen, at the same time minimizing the blood that is left to circulate through the body! Now imagine that this person actually survived due to the skills of the emergency surgery performed by Dr. Charles-Harris during a minimally invasive procedure! He used the endovascular stent-graph method to insert a repair graft through the vessel using cameras and catheters to guide his way and repair the rupture.
