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Rebecca · 10-28-2002, 09:34 PM

Dear Watchman,
I really don't wish to belabor this technicality, but, in the interest of dispelling misinformation, I'll share a few sites and the information contained therein.
Both of these definitions of the term "aneurysm," as well as several others I didn't have time to copy and paste, indicate that an aneurysm is a ballooning of the aorta rather than just a weakening.
Rebecca

http://my.webmd.com/encyclopedia/article/1675.57076
Aortic Aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a bulging section in the wall of a blood vessel that has become stretched out and thin. Where the wall of the blood vessel bulges out, it becomes weaker and may burst or rupture, causing bleeding. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it may cause a stroke. An aneurysm in a vessel that carries a lot of blood, such as the aorta, can be very dangerous if it bursts.

http://www.academicpress.com/inscigh...9/aneurys1.htm
aneurysm
Medicine
• a sac formed by the dilation of the wall of a vein or artery; sometimes congenital, but usually caused by disease and, occasionally, by trauma. Also, aneurism.
quote:Originally posted by TheWatchman:
Cathy, I don't want to keep this going but please re-read my prior posts. You are agreeing with what I am saying. A weakened artery (or vein), by medical textbook definition is NOT only "ballooning" but also "weakening". Again, you can have a weakened vein WITHOUT any ballooning whatsoever. It is true about aging, smokers and veins losing their elasticity. That is why smokers are at an increased danger for having an aneurysm. When a smokers veins lose elasticity they become weakened, which by definition they technically have an aneurysm. Being that they have no symptoms, when it does rupture the term aneurysm is often used because the aneurysm had to be present before the rupture. Again, there can be other stimuli that can cause a rupture. Smoking can be a stimulus for veins losing their elasticity which naturally weakens them, hence the aneurysm. You can live with an aneurysm for a long time but once it leaks or bursts, it is a rupture. Whenever a vein weakens, for whatever reason, it is called an aneurysm. If a vein ruptures, it is caused by weakening or ballooning which is an aneurysm. To make it clearer, if a vein is ballooned, it must be weak (100% without a doubt). On the otherhand, if a vein is weakened, it does NOT mean that it is ballooned.

A lot of times people (and Dr.'s too I suppose) interchange the terms aneurysm and rupture. They go hand in hand. Someone walking around with an aneurysm is a ticking time bomb because at any moment that vein can rupture (burst, leak etc.)

Okay, let's move on. The bottom line is that GL is supposedly making progress and getting better each day. Let's just hope he keeps up the good fight.

[This message has been edited by TheWatchman (edited October 26, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Rebecca (edited October 28, 2002).]

10-28-2002, 09:34 PM	#24
Rebecca Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: CA, USA Posts: 103	Dear Watchman, I really don't wish to belabor this technicality, but, in the interest of dispelling misinformation, I'll share a few sites and the information contained therein. Both of these definitions of the term "aneurysm," as well as several others I didn't have time to copy and paste, indicate that an aneurysm is a ballooning of the aorta rather than just a weakening. Rebecca http://my.webmd.com/encyclopedia/article/1675.57076 Aortic Aneurysm Aneurysm An aneurysm is a bulging section in the wall of a blood vessel that has become stretched out and thin. Where the wall of the blood vessel bulges out, it becomes weaker and may burst or rupture, causing bleeding. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it may cause a stroke. An aneurysm in a vessel that carries a lot of blood, such as the aorta, can be very dangerous if it bursts. http://www.academicpress.com/inscigh...9/aneurys1.htm aneurysm Medicine • a sac formed by the dilation of the wall of a vein or artery; sometimes congenital, but usually caused by disease and, occasionally, by trauma. Also, aneurism. quote:Originally posted by TheWatchman: Cathy, I don't want to keep this going but please re-read my prior posts. You are agreeing with what I am saying. A weakened artery (or vein), by medical textbook definition is NOT only "ballooning" but also "weakening". Again, you can have a weakened vein WITHOUT any ballooning whatsoever. It is true about aging, smokers and veins losing their elasticity. That is why smokers are at an increased danger for having an aneurysm. When a smokers veins lose elasticity they become weakened, which by definition they technically have an aneurysm. Being that they have no symptoms, when it does rupture the term aneurysm is often used because the aneurysm had to be present before the rupture. Again, there can be other stimuli that can cause a rupture. Smoking can be a stimulus for veins losing their elasticity which naturally weakens them, hence the aneurysm. You can live with an aneurysm for a long time but once it leaks or bursts, it is a rupture. Whenever a vein weakens, for whatever reason, it is called an aneurysm. If a vein ruptures, it is caused by weakening or ballooning which is an aneurysm. To make it clearer, if a vein is ballooned, it must be weak (100% without a doubt). On the otherhand, if a vein is weakened, it does NOT mean that it is ballooned. A lot of times people (and Dr.'s too I suppose) interchange the terms aneurysm and rupture. They go hand in hand. Someone walking around with an aneurysm is a ticking time bomb because at any moment that vein can rupture (burst, leak etc.) Okay, let's move on. The bottom line is that GL is supposedly making progress and getting better each day. Let's just hope he keeps up the good fight. [This message has been edited by TheWatchman (edited October 26, 2002).] [This message has been edited by Rebecca (edited October 28, 2002).]