Some people describe it as a ticking timebomb. Others learn to live with information they can neither see nor feel, but cannot forget. This is what it can mean to be diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm: a swelling in the body’s main artery that becomes more likely to rupture as it grows, despite causing no symptoms.
For most people with a small aneurysm, surgery is not the safest option. Regular scans are used to track its growth. This avoids an operation they may not need, but can leave them living with uncertainty for years.
