What is the correct cm in thoracic aorta ansersym to have surgery
Hello I'm 55 was diagnosed with a thoracic aorta ansersym 3years ago. I don't know how I got it. I don't smoke. When going to a cardiologist at a good hospital he said 6cm was surgery and I am 5.5cms . I have read several websites on surgery they say the cms I am now I should have had surgery . But the Dr says don't worry come back in another 2years. Well I decided to find another opinion. What do you think I'm lost on this I don't have any family left to help me with decisions.
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I agree, it is a horrible and difficult decision to make. I also struggled with it for 6 months. I was diagnosed with a 4.5 cm ascending aortic aneurysm 10 years ago. It has slowly grown to 5.2 cm. Last year my cardiologist and thoracic surgeon said I should have surgery, but I couldn’t make a decision. There is the real risk of a dissection. But, I feel fine and don’t have any symptoms and was trying to balance that against a very painful surgery recovery and months of disruption in my life, my wife’s life and my family’s life. Add to that the risk of complications from the surgery. Finally something my surgeon said convinced me. He said the aneurysm is not going to go away and will likely continue to grow which will increase my risk of a dissection. He also said the older I get the more difficult the surgery and recovery will be (I am 72 and in reasonably good health for my age). So I am having surgery on April 9th.
According to the latest guidelines by the American Heart Association in 2021 5.5 cm if you don’t have any other pre-existing or genetic disorders that affect your tissues and I think 5.0 if you do, you might wanna Google 2021 American heart Association guidelines for an ascending aortic aneurysm
Thank you for such a thoughtful response; I am struggling with my decision but know as a scientist myself that surgery will set me free.
Best wishes for a successful recovery and thank you for sharing your perspective
Hello have you had any complications since your surgery.
I have not, I started working out a few months after surgery, my limitation was more the fact that I was also recovering from a fractured leg ( they found my aneurysm while prepping me for leg surgery after an MTB accident). 5 years on, I’m in great health, workout 5-6 times a week with relatively high intensity , no complications whatsoever and no limitations. As I have some family propensity to aneurysms, I get checked every year by my cardiologist (also checking my aortic valve as it is bicuspid).