How do I find out what size and how big my abdominal aorta dissection is? How do I know how big it is, what I should do about it? Have surgery or wait it out? I'm 73 and want to live longer with my family, but I'm scared to death that this thing is getting the best of me. I have a bulge that goes from one side to the other side under my breast and I'm not normally this big. Do these leak blood? Or is it just a big bulge like the numbers you are all talking about having? What test do I take next to find out more about this other than just saying I have it. Which is where I am right now. I had a heart scan and was told I had this dissection but no more information about it except my doctor said he would do another heart scan in 6 months to see if it had grown. What if I want to have surgery to repair it? Or should I have an ultrasound scan to find out more about the size of mine? You see I know nothing about this. Can someone give me answers? Sergeant Susie