Vladimír Šefránek
Aneurysms of the abdominal aorta (AAA) rank among the greatest medical challenges because of threatening lives particularly of the elderly people. This paper emphasizes the contemporary policy in diagnosis, selection of patients to surgery and offers a concise survey of the treatment modalities. The natural history of the AAA in majority of cases is asymptomatic and the rupture means the first symptom quite often. Prognosis of patients with ruptured AAA (mortality up to 90 %) is extraordinary unfavorable in contrast to the electively operated patients (mortality is below 5 %). Active screening of patients with AAA by the physicians, above all general practicioners and sending them quickly to the vascular surgical centers can save many lives and finances.