Several laboratory procedures help diagnose aneurysms. An abdominal x-ray may show an aneurysm that has calcium deposits in its wall. Usually, an ultrasound scan clearly reveals the size of an aneurysm. Unless an aneurysm is rupturing, treatment depends on its size. Therefore, doctors usually recommend surgery for aneurysms more than 2 inches wide, unless it's too risky for other medical reasons.
Surgery consists of inserting a synthetic graft to repair the aneurysm.
The death rate from this type of surgery is about 2 percent. Rupture or threatened rupture of an abdominal aneurysm requires emergency surgery. The risk of death during an operation for a ruptured aneurysm is about 50 percent. When an aneurysm ruptures, the kidneys are at risk of injury from disrupted blood supply or from shock related to blood loss. If kidney failure develops after the operation, the chances of survival are very poor.