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4.7 cm and a 4.2 ascending aortic aneurysm
Hello, I am 55 year old male, never smoked. My last scan showed slow growth. I was at 4.7 on aortic root and another on ascending aorta at 4.2 when measured last September. A few days ago, I had a new, hard to describe chest pain, kind of a dull ache. When i got up next day it was gone. Yesterday afternoon, the same pain came back, but worse and included shortness of breath. At ER, they ran EKG and Troponin tests and ordered CTA of chest. The CTA tech said it was to check for blood clot in lungs. I asked him if it would see my aneurysms and he said it should. A few hours later, the ER DR told me they didn't see the aneurysms and they might have "cleared up" and to follow up with cardiologist. Earliest available is tuesday morning, this being holiday weekend and all. I don't really know what to ask or say here, but has anyone else had this experience or symptoms? The pain is best described as a straight line down chest, just left of sternum. Last night it made it into my back, kind of straight through. BP was good, EKG good.
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The ER Dr had said the EKGs were good. I looked in Patient portal and whoever read them today said abnormal. Level one AV block and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Aneurysms don't just "clear up."
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4 Reactions@rlhix exactly.
the new pain in your back is reason enough to go back to an ER now and not wait. Aneurysms don’t disappear- absolutely never! I’m curious if the dr looked at your prior scans that showed your aneurysm. If not, perhaps they thought you were mistaken about your prior diagnosis. The comment that they “cleared up” is wrong and nonsensical. i would not wait.
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2 ReactionsAscending aortic aneurysms don't go away and they also don't get smaller.
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1 ReactionI know they don't. When she said that, I had zero confidence in anything else she had to say. At that point it was pushing 1 am and they weren't going to do anything else. When my cardiologist opened at 8 AM, I was trying to get in. They had taken off Friday and Monday is holiday. I'm scheduled Tuesday morning. I also called Vanderbilt Aorta Center to get in there. I don't think many Dr's in this area know much about aneurysm. I read that if the cta is for lungs which is what the tech said, that it cuts off before getting to the aortic root. Its frustrating as heck, but I don't know what else to do.
@jaysue41 Not sure what you read about a CT-A and where, but the one I just had got a very detailed, 3-D image of my heart along with entire scan of chest.
@rlhix
i'm confused by this too, I didn't think they cleared up either?
I have a 4.5 cm ascending aortic aneurysm that was found during imaging tests. I do have some similar discomfort just below my xyphoid process in the center of my upper abdomen. I play a good bit of golf and have come to the conclusion it is thoracic radiculopathy. We just have to manage our blood pressure and prevent Valsalva maneuvers best we can!! I've recently been put on Repatha for cholesterol and it's causing some significant constipation. Something has got to give, and hopefully, it won't be my aorta!!! They don't usually operate unless it's 5.5 and everyone has a different size. A 6'5" basketball player may have a much larger aortic root than a 5' 100lb gal.
@ctflyr googled "I have 2 aortic aneurysms but latest cta of the lungs missed them, why"