aortic valve replacement and aortic aneurysm

I am a 52 yr. old male and I had my aortic valve replaced in Feb. 1994. It was replaced with a St. Judes valve. I was told that I had an aneurysm and that it would be repaired at the same time. The aneurysm was not repaired and now I am under the care of another doctor, who says the aneurysm is about half again as large as it should be. The doctor says it does not look like it has gotten any larger since 1994, but he is concerned with the aneurysm,it's size, and it's location(as it leaves the valve). He says it gets complicated when you a valve and aneurysm problem together. He also says that the Cleveland Clinic is one of the 2 or 3 hospitals in the U.S. that he would recommend to further evaluate the problem. I am in good health but am concerned about what can happen to me. Please advise if you think we have reason to be concerned. Thanks in advance for your reply.  Joe

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

A large aneurysm is cause for concern. Your doctor is right - it does get more tricky since you have already had valve surgery. I think you ought to be evaluated for repeat surgery.

[Larry]

Joe, I had a AAA in Feb 99, both were repaired in the Mayo Hospital. Your right the operation is a very delicate operation and should be accomplished by a hospital and surgeon that does this on a routinely basis.  Needless to say I went to such a hospital and my physician was excellent. Cleveland and Mayo are both excellent hospitals and surely qualified.  My aneurysm was 5.0 cm when I  had it removed and the valve replaced. All is fine and wish you good luck but by all means see a qualified physician and hospital not the local county hospital.

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

I agree. This is probably not something that the local community hospitals would feel comfortable treating.

[Joe]

I just talked with my Dr. and he said the aortic aneurysm is 5 -6 cms. in size. What do you think? Is this the size that needs to be repaired? How long would you be in the hospital and how long is recovery? Thanks for your reponse and supportive comments.

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

This is around the size where surgery is indicated. The length of hospital stay would be at least 7 to 10 days. It would be six weeks to recover fully from such surgery.

[Sandra]

Joe,

    My husband just had his aortic valve replaced and an aneurysm of the ascending aorta removed on October 27th.  He did have his done in an area hospital with a very qualified surgeon, who deals with this type of problem more often than most surgeons.  He is world traveled and lectures on these procedures.  It was a hard decision for us whether to go to a well known heart clinic or to have it repaired here.  Anyway he is about 6 weeks post op and most problems seem resolved.  He had Dressler's syndrome and had to take high doses of Motrin to help with the inflammation.  He still has a cough when he tries to carry on a long conversation, but it seems to be improving some.  He chose a mechanical valve ( St. Jude's) because he is only 45.  He would not want to go through this operation again, nor would I want him to do so.  The coudamin is not really a problem for him.  It was hard to regulate at the beginning, but now it is just a pill he takes once a day, like any other.  Two more weks and his sternum will be mended and then I'll feel better.
     Good luck to you.  Don't waste time.  Get it corrected.  Our surgeon told us that his was 5.0 cm at least, and if it had burst, 5 minutes was all he would have to make it to the hospital.