Aneurysms

An aneurysm is a dilatation or expansion of a blood vessel. This can be thought of as being like a balloon being blown up. Normal blood vessels and aneurysms. In the human circulation, the heart pumps blood into blood vessels called arteries.

The arteries take blood to the organs (such as the brain, kidneys and liver) and the bones, muscles and skin of the rest of the body. The blood takes oxygen and nutrition to these organs and tissues keeping them alive. Once the nutrition has been delivered, the waste products produced by the cells of the organs or tissues are brought back by the blood in other blood vessels.

The blood vessels bringing this blood back to the heart are called veins. Normal blood vessels have three layers (see diagram). The inner layer is called the intima; the middle layer is the muscle layer; the outer layer is called the adventitia. Aneurysms can be found in the heart, the arteries or the veins. However aneurysms of the heart are very uncommon and a very specialised area and aneurysms of the veins are also uncommon and are not particularly relevant. It is the aneurysms of arteries that are most important.

Further Reading on Aneurysms - Medical Pages Information Sites