Connect
Should I be concerned about how at risk I am for rupture with a 4.2 cm
June 1, 2025 I was diagnosed with a 4.2 cm ascending aortic artery aneurysm. I went to my cardiologist who found that I also have high blood pressure and very high cholesterol. He told me it was not a concern for surgery now as it is too small, but I am worried about rupture, especially with the high blood pressure. Is it wise to have surgery now with the fear of it bursting? Much anxiety around this.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aortic Aneurysms Support Group.
Connect
I live in the UP of Michigan. The closest major center is Mayo Rochester. It's a six hour drive more or less. There are several other good options that are about 10-12 hours away.
I believe 4.2 is small by all measures. I think (but am not certain at all) that even people with a genetic predisposition don't typically get surgery at 4.2. I think/hope we could both count on getting appointments for an actual surgery if it becomes necessary. The monitoring is important, but that doesn't require being at a top center (though better if you can get it). Yet there is always that niggling doubt that I would be turned away from the centers I'd like to perform the surgery. Just have to live with it I guess.
They don't ever test the growth per se, so far as I know. They set the imaging frequency to make it very unlikely the aneurysm would grow between images so much that surgery would be warranted. It's all based on statistics I guess. My attitude is to take comfort in the fact that I'm probably "usual". So we're in pretty good shape between 4 and 4.5. Things get more "serious" once it starts getting around 5cm. But even then, there is some evidence that surgery is more risky than waiting until 5.5cm. So far as I know, at that point, you have to take into account details like the patient's health and the success rate of the center doing the surgery. There are always outliers, but they are rare. ;-).
I'm not sure when you got your diagnosis. Mine was going on two years ago. It has definitely gotten significantly easier to live with. Reading up has also helped.
Good luck!