Can Abdominal Aneurysms Be Repaired Genetically?

By: Minerva Perez

What is the Aneurysm?

Abdominal aneurysm is when the presence of weakness of the Abdominal Aortic wall forms a bulge like a balloon.

Symptoms Most of the time the Abdominal Aneurysm is asymptomatic and is discovered during routine exams.

In patients when the Abdominal Aneurysm enlarges, Some symptoms as Mayoclinic 22,2013. are:a) A pulsating feeling near the navel.b) Deep constant pain in the abdomen or

on the side of the abdomen.c) Back pain.

TreatmentThere are two current treatments to aneurysms :

Medical treatment by observation of the Aneurysm.

Open Repair: Abdominal cavity is opened and the aortic artery is clamped above and bellow the aneurysm, interrupting the blood flow to the legs and the other organs.

ComplicationsOpen abdominal repair complications:

- “Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)

- Bleeding during or after surgery

- Injury to the bowel (intestines)

- Limb ischemia (loss of blood flow to legs/ feet)

- Embolus (clot) to other parts of the body

- Infection of the graft

- Lung problems

- Kidney damage” (Hopkins medicine)

Complications cont.“EVAR (Endovascular aneurysm repair) complications:

- Damage to surrounding blood vessels, organs, or other structures by instruments

- Kidney damage

- Limb ischemia (loss of blood flow to leg/feet) from clots

- Groin wound infection

- Groin hematoma (large blood-filled bruise)

- Bleeding

- Endoleak (continual leaking of blood out of the graft and into the aneurysm sac with potential rupture)

- Spinal cord injury” (Hopkins medicine)

Introducing Genetic Solutions

A genetic repair of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm will give multiple advantages to the patients such as, less invasive procedure and shorter recovery time.

This treatment will be based on the medication or substance created by modified stem cells and administered by endovascular method and put at the aneurysm site.

HowWith knowledge of the way stem cells can be used to repair heart tissue we can apply the same technique to abdominal aneurysms to repair the tissue and therefore, applying a genetic solution to the problem. (Bethesda, MD.2009)

Beneficiaries

This is important to many individuals who cannot afford to spend too much time recovering or whose bodies are not healthy enough to have a successful recovery from such an invasive procedure. This type of patient would highly benefit from this procedure.