Suspected Anurysm

  My 84 yr old father just told me that a chest x-ray reveiled a "chest anurysm" approximately 5 cm in diameter.  He had a CAT sacn and is awaiting the results.  My father is in good health, and isvery active (he travels quite a bit).  What are the implications of this anurysm and what can be done about it?  Is his life in immediate danger?  I comments are appreciated.
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Dear Mark,
Thank you for your question.  An aneurysm is a dilation of a blood vessel.  They can occur anywhere in the body and are a result of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and high blood pressure.  The areas where they can be dangerous are in the aorta.  The risk is of an aneurysm is rupture resulting in sudden death.  This risk increases as the size of the aneurysm increases.  In general when the aneurysm is 4-6 cm an operation is indicated to repair the aneurysm.  This is major surgery but is usually well tolerated.  For those unable to undergo surgery new stents are being developed that can be placed in the aorta through a small hole in the leg.
Medication may be used to help control the blood pressure before surgery.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.