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Ascending Aorta Dilation

Hello- I found out Friday night I have a 4cm ascending aortic mildly aneurysmal. The echocardiogram on Sunday says Aortic Root is normal at 2.9.
All heart function is normal.  
I had gone in for chest pains.  Seems it was a GI issue. I had surgery for gyno reasons 11/24 so it seems the anesthesiologist may have scraped my esophagus and that the anesthesia has relaxed my stomach muscles so I am having to take Prilosec for 4-8 weeks to help that heal.  

Anyhow.  

I am overweight but have lost 35 pounds in the last 11 months (stopped taking a medication that I gained 100 pounds on)  I am 6 feet 1 inch, female.  I started blood pressure treatment about 6 months ago. Could being taller then average give me a little bit of a different anatomy?

My doctor is in the process of getting results from a MRI and a MUGA scan I had in 98 & 97 respectively.  I had a heart issue sustained ventricular tachycardia and peri-partum cardiomyopathy which after having a Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) my heart and it's function returned to normal.

Obviously I am nervous.  Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
  
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Avatar universal
I see my grandmother's case more as a if things are monitored and etc. you can live with an issue like this.  
Not everyone has to die from it if it found early and followed.

BTW- I am trying to find surgery stats for the fixing of Ascending aorta aneurysm.

What is the name of the procedure for a ascending aorta aneurysm?

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Avatar universal
BSA is Body Surface Area - kind of like BMI, not exactly.  People with larger BSAs have larger aortas.  That's just a general rule - if you take a 5'2" woman and stuff her with pie for a year and she weighs 1000 lbs, her aorta isn't going to expand accordingly (to my knowledge).

Yes, different parts of the aorta have different "normal" sizes.  Typically, the aortic root (sinus of valsalva) is the largest - everything tapers from there.

Your grandmother's AAA may or may not be related to your dilatation.  Older folks commonly get AAAs just from aging.

And yes, you certainly can keep an eye on it.  Life in moderation and regular imaging through your cardiologist are important.  Again, for a 6'1 270 lb person, a 4.0cm asc aorta is big but does not sound huge to me.  Defer to your cardiologist, but I am betting he will say what I am saying.

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Avatar universal
I am laughing at my somewhat disjointed post.  Guess I may be more nervous than I want to be.
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Avatar universal
Hi Nick-
Being off Paxil has helped in two ways, not craving carbs and exercising & good eating habits actually results in weight loss. When I was on paxil and in the gym I didn't lose anyting. I was always an athlete and thankfully maintained my activity, though not at athlete level)
My diet has changed even more recently and I will continue doings aerobic exercise and using hand weights.  Have to check if I can do the nautilis weights at the gym.
Weights help so much with my weight loss.

BSA?  Is that like BMI?

I was wondering if different areas of the aorta have different sizes.

I found out my grandmother has been living with a abdominal aorta aneurysm for the last 10 years.  

I'm calming down a little and trying to look at it like, at least I know and can watch and treat it.

My exercise stress test is the 21st I can't wait.

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Avatar universal
Your BSA is quite large (and I don't mean any offense; just being objective) and one would theoretically expect your aorta to be large as well.  However, given that your aortic root is 2.9, which probably correlates to the BSA of a smaller woman, I would in reality expect your asc aorta to be smaller - not 4.0.  I bet your cardiologist will recommend a wait-and-see approach, depending on your 97-98 test results.  4.0 is not huge for that part of the aorta, but it is large.  Losing weight, lowering BP, all such things will be good for your aorta.  Don't over-exert yourself.

ARBs and ACEi are making headlines for shrinking aortic roots.  I am not sure how efficacious they are with ascending aortas.  You might talk to your doctor about that if he or she is well-read.
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Avatar universal
Hi, Thanks for posting.  No, no symptoms of Marfan.  I am 275 now I was like 310.
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Avatar universal
What do you weigh now?

Do you have any signs of Marfan syndrome? (Google it.)
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