aorta dissection

  : : My mother in law is 78 years old and was experiencing alot of pain.  She was carried by ambulance to our local heart hospital and they said that she has arota dissection at the hook none surgical but treated with medication.  What can be done, how long can she live, explain to me exactly what this is?  
  : : She is a very active woman and still works full time.
  : Dear Becky:
  : Aortic dissection is a serious medical problem.  How it is treated depends on the location of the dissection [or tear] in the aorta, which is the big blood vessel that leads out of the heart.  Dissections close to the heart are best treated with surgery; patients treated with only medicines do very poorly in this situation.  Dissections that are far from the heart, lower down in the aorta, are usually treated with medications, and quite successfully.
  : I assume your mother had this latter type of dissection.  The key here is to control elevated blood pressure very closely.  Medicines called beta-blockers are among the best to treat this condition.  Patients tend to do very well with medical treatment.  Occasionally, medications will not be sufficient to control the pain from a dissection, or the dissection will involve other blood vessels like the kidney or leg arteries; then, surgery may be indicated.  It is important that your mother have regular check-ups with a cardiologist to follow her blood pressure closely and to periodically take a picture of the dissection and make sure that it is not growing in size.
  : Information provided here is for general purposes only.  Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and treatments.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment at Desk F15 with a cardiologist.
Dear Becky:
Warning signs that a Type 2 aortic dissection could be acting up include significant chest, abdominal or back pain.  Any sudden decrease in urination could signal involvement of the arteries to the kidney.  A cold or painful leg could signify involvement of the leg arteries.
As far as going back to work, that would depend on her specific condition and the type of work that she does.  She should check with her doctor.  Unless her work involves significant physical straining, there should be no problem with returning to work.  Her blood pressure would need to be adequately controlled first.
Information provided here is for general purposes only.  Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and treatments.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment at Desk F15 with a cardiologist.