Hospiten focuses on one of the most commonvascular conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This condition involves adilation of the body’s main artery, which, in most cases, progresses completely silently. When the wall of this large bloodvessel —which is responsible for pumping blood from the heart to the rest of the body—weakens, it begins to gradually widen in the abdominal area. The great danger lies in the fact that it can goundiagnosed for years, and if not detected in time, its rupture results in a mortality rate of over 80%.
The head of the Endovascular and Interventional Radiology Service at Hospiten in the Canary Islands, Dr.Tobías Zander, warns that abdominal aortic aneurysms “are a significant condition precisely becausethey areasymptomatic.” “It often shows no warning signs until it reaches a significant size or becomes complicated, so it is essential to take proactive measures and screen at-risk populations.”
nProfilesat Higher Risk
This condition primarily affects people over the age of 60, with an incidence among men that is up to four times higher than among women. Lifestyle habits and medical history play a decisive role, with smokers and patients with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, or a history of cardiovascular disease being particularly vulnerable. Additionally, there is a clear hereditary component, as up to 15% of those affected have a family history of the condition.
In its typical course, an aneurysm does not cause any discomfort. Occasionally, when symptoms appear prior to a serious complication, they manifest as persistent pain in the abdominal or lower back region, which is often mistaken for renal colic. It may also present as a sensation of a pulsating mass in the abdomen. Dr. Zander notes that the absence of these symptoms does not rule out the condition at all. If the aneurysm ruptures, the situation changes drastically, becoming a life-threatening emergency. At that moment, the patient experiences asuddenonsetof intense pain,accompanied by pallor,sweating, tachycardia,nausea,vomiting, or even shock.
Early Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Surgery
Fortunately, early diagnosis is a simple and non-invasive process. Routine imaging tools such as abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or arteriography can identify arterial dilation long before it reaches acriticalpoint.
“Once detected, the medical approach has taken a huge leap forward,” says Dr. Zander. “Endovascular surgery has established itself as a crucial therapeutic advance over traditional open surgery. By repairing the aneurysm usingminimally invasivetechniques, the invasiveness of the procedure is drastically reduced, ensuring very favorable outcomes and shortening the patient’s recovery time to just a few days,” he concludes.
Dr. Tobias Zander’s team at Hospiten, recognized for its expertise and leadership in the Canary Islands, specializes in the treatment of complex aneurysms that require custom-made stents. Dr. Zander emphasizes the importance of early detection, which can significantly improve the prognosis for this condition. Thanks to preventive screenings, a silent and life-threatening condition becomes a manageable disease with a highsuccessrate .
The team, currently led by Dr. Zander,performed the first non-invasiveaortic aneurysm surgery—without opening the aorta— in 1994.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, host city for two leading international events in the field
Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife) will host, in November, the Refresher Course of the Spanish Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (SERVEI) and the International Congress of the Ibero-American Society of Interventional Radiology (SIDI). Both events, led by Dr. Tobias Zander, will bring together more than 400 professionals from across Latin America and will establish the island of Tenerife as a national and international leader in the field of interventional radiology.
This article is an English translation generated with AI from the original Spanish content. While we review content for clarity, the information is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis or treatment.