Aortic aneurysm: the physician as patient

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 365; no. 9470; p. 1590
• Main Author: de Letona, Juan Martinez L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 30.04.2005; Lancet; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Aged; Aneurysms; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - diagnosis; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - surgery; Aortic Rupture - diagnosis; Aortic Rupture - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; General aspects; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Postoperative Complications; Surgery; Human; Medicine; Health staff; Physician; Cardiovascular disease; Patient; Aortic aneurysm
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66460-4

It was the morning of my 67th birthday, Jan 12, 2004. At 8.30 sharp, I felt the beginning of a low intensity, continuous pain in my lower left abdomen that irradiated to both flank and inguinal regions. I knew that I had hypertension, and that control of my weight was far from adequate. I had also previously suffered from chronic lumbar pain, which I thought was of spinal origin. But the onset of abdominal pain of an entirely new character and its location suggested otherwise-either renal colic (my left kidney has always been in an abnormal, pelvic position for many years) or the much more serious possibility of a leaking aortic aneurysm (previous ultrasonography had shown a slight dilatation of the abdominal aorta of 3 cm). So, I asked for an immediate abdominal ultrasound scan, which showed a large aortic aneurysm (9.5 cm). CT showed no signs of rupture (figure).