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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
aortic aneurysm
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aortic aneurysm
by abbs, Dec 01, 2004 12:00AM
My husband recently had chest pains and we thought it was due to his anxiety because he had stopped taking his paxil. he went to a cardiologist who did stress test, blood tests, echo, and ct scan. long story short it was found that he has a slightly enlarged aortic root and then further found an aortic aneurysm at 4.6cm. we are seeing a surgeon on dec. 7. the cardiologist said that most like the surgeon will not do anything right now. the odd thing is that my son who is 7 years also has a slightly enlarged aortic root. my son went through a genetic clinic. they both show no signs of a connective tissue disease. they are both shorter and stocky. what is the outlook of these conditions?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-M.D.-MJM, Dec 01, 2004 12:00AM
Hi Abbs,
It is good know there is no sign of connective tissue disease. Aortic aneurysms of this size and no other confounding factors like bicuspid aoritic valve or connective tissue disease are usually followed over time for progression. Some aneurysm progress faster than others, time is the only answer. It may be years or decades or never before he needs a surgery, but unfortunately all you can do is wait.
The outlook depends on risk factors (mentioned above) and the need for surgery. The younger you are for your first surgery the more likely you will need a second or third. While the risks increase with each subsequent surgery, it is generally a pretty safe procedure in a high volume surgical center and experienced hands.
Thanks for posting and I hope this helps....
It is good know there is no sign of connective tissue disease. Aortic aneurysms of this size and no other confounding factors like bicuspid aoritic valve or connective tissue disease are usually followed over time for progression. Some aneurysm progress faster than others, time is the only answer. It may be years or decades or never before he needs a surgery, but unfortunately all you can do is wait.
The outlook depends on risk factors (mentioned above) and the need for surgery. The younger you are for your first surgery the more likely you will need a second or third. While the risks increase with each subsequent surgery, it is generally a pretty safe procedure in a high volume surgical center and experienced hands.
Thanks for posting and I hope this helps....
It is very difficult to receive this diagnosis, but I want you to know you are not alone. There are conditions affecting the aorta that still are "nameless", generally termed as familial aortic disease.
I want to share these resources with you.
http://www.bicuspidfoundation.com (this deals with all aortic diseae, not just the bicuspid version!) I can be reached via email at this website.
http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/aorta
Best Wishes,
Avel
thanks
DAVE
Sorry about your husband's condition. I too have been going through the echocardiograms, CT scans, Holter monitors, nuclear stress test and today I went for a MRI (MRA with contrast). I had the CT Scan done and they noted that the ascending aorta at the sinotubular junction was 44.5mm, 36.8mm at the take-off of the left coronary artery and a prominent sinus of Valsalva. I have had four echocardiograms and they all show the aortic root to be approximately 38mm. The doctors did not call the 44.5mm section an aneurysm, they said it was "slightly dilated". This CT scan was done 2.5 years ago and I had another one done last month at the same facility. The results of this last CT Scan did not measure the area that was in question - the sinotubular junction 44.5mm - but did give a measurement of 44mm at the take-off of the left coronary artery which was previoulsy recorded at 36.8mm. I questioned the doctor on this and he told me that they have updated their equipment from 2.5 years ago and that it is difficult to know if they were measuring in the same location???? I immediately went for a second opinion to a larger university medical center (Yale New Haven) where they repeated the echocardiogram and found what appears to be a "bulge" in the aortic arch that he wanted to confirm with the MRI.
I'm kind of confused as to whether or not this should be considered and aneurysm. I have been told that it could be because of my height, size and weight that I exceed normal ranges but I do not feel too comfortable with this. I am 6'6" tall and weigh 220lbs. All this testing was started to rule out Marfan's because I had some physical characteristics of Marfan's - arm span vs. height ratio greater than 1.07, high arch to roof of mouth and flexible thumb slightly overlapping palm. There is no history of Marfan's in family and I am a triplet (three boys) and nobody else has any characteristics.
Sorry for being so "long-winded" here, but I'm just really nervous about this MRI I had today and thought I would get some feedback here. I asked the radiologist if I can view my images after the test and she allowed me. She said the aortic arch looked slightly larger than normal but it was difficult to confirm without performing the measurements. It was kinda' cool and scary seeing my aorta lit-up like a Christmas tree on that computer monitor.
I hope everything turns out alright with your husband. I wil keep you posted with my MRI results if you are interested.
Take care.
~Bob
I understand your concern because I know how I felt when I first noticed it and I still feel uneasy about it sometimes.
But since we're both too young for AA, maybe it's just normal for us?
Take care. :-)
to bob-six six, i hope all goes well for you. you should try to post a question to the doctors on this site. it is hard to get on but they might be able to give you some insight into your history. good luck!! take care and i am sure all will be ok.
abbs