Most aneurysms do not have symptoms. Thus, they are commonly detected during the course of diagnosis for other conditions. For instance, thoracic aneurysms may be detected during a chest x-ray, and abdominal aortic aneurysms may be detected during an abdominal CT scan for a different reason.

However, if an aortic aneurysm is suspected, a physician will begin by asking questions about the patient’s medical history, which will include asking whether any of the patient’s relatives have a history of an aortic aneurysm. The physician will then perform a complete physical examination, which will include listening to the patient’s heart with a stethoscope, feeling the abdomen for a pulsating mass, taking the patient’s pulse and measuring the patient’s blood pressure.

If information from the medical history and physical examination suggest that an aortic aneurysm may be present, the physician will perform duplex ultrasound examinations of the abdominal aorta. This painless test uses sound waves to visualize the structures and functions of the aorta. It can provide visual images of an aortic aneurysm by placing a device called a transducer on the skin over the aorta. The resulting images can determine the location and size of an aortic aneurysm with a fairly high degree of accuracy.

A minimally invasive variation for the diagnosis of thoracic aortic aneurysm is the transesophageal echocardiogram, in which the transducer is inserted through the mouth/throat and down the esophagus. This positioning allows the transducer to capture clear images of certain types of thoracic aneurysms without interference from the chest wall or lungs.

Additional tests that may need to be done include: