Checking for an abdominal aortic aneurysm: Who, when, and why?
The body's largest artery, the aorta, curves out of the heart down through the center of the body, where it branches into smaller arteries that send blood to various organs and the legs. Over a lifetime, the bottom section of this vessel — the abdominal aorta — may weaken. A thin, weak spot can balloon outward, forming an abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA.
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