Given the success of Research Topic
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Advancements in diagnosis, biomarkers, drug therapeutics, surgical and endovascular treatment and the rapidly evolving subject area, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume II.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is defined as an increased aorta diameter 1.5 times to the normal ones involving all three anatomical layers. AAAs mostly remain asymptomatic until the aneurysm ruptures, which is unpredictable and fatal (85-90% mortality). Current guidelines advise watchful waiting and lifestyle adjustment for smaller, slow-growing aneurysms, and elective/prophylactic surgical repairs are only recommended when the AAA grows >55mm for males and >50mm for females. Remarkable progress has been made in both open and endovascular repairs of AAA, most notably introduced new generation stent-grafts and synthetic grafts judiciously designed for complex and challenging aortic anatomies. However, long-term success of these emerging technologies warrants further investigation, especially with the recent alarming reports regarding the possible loss of survival benefit with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Thus far, there are still no effective medical therapies for AAA, especially for the majority of newly diagnosed patients who do not have the indications of surgical repairs. Although many drugs such as Doxycycline and Rapamycin demonstrated efficacies in animal models, they showed low efficacy in clinical trials. For large AAA, aortic ruptures are life-threatening, early detection for impending rupture of AAA is still inaccessible.
With more researchers focusing on the abdominal aortic aneurysm, progress is made rapidly in diagnosis, medical treatment, and surgical and endovascular treatment. In this Research Topic, we would like to create a forum for current advances on imaging, early detection for impending rupture, pharmacological treatments and the progress in grafts and operational approaches, the cellular, and physiological mechanisms, and biomechanical mechanisms of the disease.
We welcome Original Research, Review, and Mini-review covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
1) Cellular and molecular mechanism for AAA development.
2) Biomechanical factors in abdominal aortic aneurysm.
3) Innovative imaging of AAA.
4) Novel Approaches to Identification of biomarkers for impending rupture of AAA.
5) Pharmacological treatment advance for AAA.
6) The progress in surgical treatment and endovascular therapy for AAA,