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Aorta Enlargement

Dear Dr.,
My Brother in Law as recently been diagnosed, in the sequence of an echocardiogram, with aorta enlagement. He was complaining sometimes of some pain in chest. The Dr. that made his exam, said that, despite the condiction should have further evaluation, don't seem to be the responsable for its pain. What's the serious of that condition and what further testing is necessary ? - And, what about complications and possible treatment?

When reading some texts about PVC I saw the terms bigeminy, trimeminy, coplet and triet. Are all considered runs of PVC or only the last 2 ones?
In normal hearts (echo, holter and stress test) do all of these kinds represent any kind risk or only when there are several in a row without normal beats in the midle that could mean ventricular tachycardia?
Are VT defined as more 3 PVC in a row ? - Is it always harmfull or only if it is sustained for more than half a minute?
Thanks a lot
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Avatar universal
I wanted to mention that a congenital heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve, estimated to be present in 1 to 2% of the population and predominant in men, is an independent risk factor for aortic aneurysm. It is important that the aortic valve be assessed also.
Here is a reference regarding this
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/8/900?eaf
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Avatar universal
josemanualcruz,

Thanks for the questions.

The seriousness on aortic enlargement depends on the circumstances in which it is found, how enlarged the aorta is, the symptoms, where it is enlarged, etc.

The bottom line is that your brother-in-law should seek consultation with an expert in the field, typically a cardiologist at a large center.  The evaluation should include a history and physical, assessment of his blood pressure, family history, and exact determination of what and where is the enlargement.

PVCs simply means beats that originate in the ventricle.  Bigeminy, trigeminy, couplets, and triplets are all considered benign in a person with an otherwise normal heart.  Non-sustained VT means at least 3 ventricular beats in a row.  It is not always harmful, and is also very common.

Hope that helps.

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Avatar universal
Just to had that my Brother in Law never had High Blood Pressure and he have been always healthy. He is 40 y old. Thanks
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