After I survived a complete dissestion in 2015, I did have genetic testing done through the John Ritter aortic research project at the University of Texas at Houston. It's free and I highly recommend it. I have to be honest with you, though: your concerns about life insurance are misplaced at this point.

At 4.4 cm you are close to a surgical candidate depending on your gender, body size, height, etc. I'd be a lot more concerned about surviving an aortic dissection than getting life insurance at age 60. I am age 60 right now. I fully dissected at age 50 and was incredibly lucky to have survived. It's true--I cannot get life insurance anymore but I am still maintaining the policies I had 10 years ago

The fact that you're getting inconsistent aortic diameter readings that vary by .3 cm is neither uncommon nor unusual given the variabilities in the different kinds of scans you're using. I think the very best scan you should have is a CT scan with contrast. It's important not to move during the scan at all so they can get a clear picture of what's going on.

More importantly, you need to find yourself a good surgeon and focus on when and if you become a surgical candidate and having a plan in place in a major metropolitan area with a surgical center that can handle this complex cardiac surgery. The time for genetic testing really has passed in the sense that you've got a problem right now and you need to address that problem now. Genetics are interesting, but they don't fix the problem. They are retrospective in the sense that they may be able to tell you whether or not there are markers that are indicative of a predisposition to deceptions, but they are meaningless when it comes to a dissection. I can tell you firsthand, the last thing I needed was genetic testing. I needed open-heart surgery and a Dacron aorta to replace the aorta I had that had blown out. I did get all of my children scanned after I survived and they will continue to have scans every five years to monitor for any issues.

I know that that is hard here and I don't want it to be, but I do want you to be very honest with yourself and not distract yourself with the nuance of genetic testing when what could happen to you with an aneurysm on your aorta is to die very suddenly. Find the best thoracic surgeon in your area and put them on your speed dial. Peace.

P.S. Now that your medical records show that you have an 4.4 cm aneurysm on your ascending aorta, you're never going to get either life insurance or a disability policy again. What your genetics counselor should've told you was that. That's the reality. I have applied for increases in my term policies when they were offered and the second they see it in my medical records they deny my request to increase the policy. I spent six years working in the life insurance industry before I became a lawyer, and I can assure you the life insurance companies, and the disability companies review every scrap of your medical records before they will issue you any kind of policy at age 60. That horse has left the barn…