65 yrs old, just diagnosed w 4.0 Thoracic Aorta Ane

Get a second opinion from a cardiothoracic surgeon with at least 20 years of experience treating aortic dissections in a high volume medical center. Mayo, University of Minnesota, Cleveland Clinic, UC San Diego, Cedars, etc. I love my primary care physician but, respectfully, he is not qualified to assess my thoracic scans. Cardiothoracic surgeons are on an entirely different medical plane. The sooner you come to that realization the better. The only person really suited to read those scans are an experienced cardiologist at a heart care center and the doctor who's going to open you up and do your aortic repair surgery. Peace.

@moonboy As usual, I agree with @moonboy but as always I highly recommend you find a cardiologist who specializes in aortic diseases, not all of them do and it makes a huge difference. Your aneurysm is on the smaller side and a cardiologist may see you more frequently than a surgeon. Having a very experienced cardiothoracic surgeon is excellent, but remember the surgeon will stop seeing you a bit after surgery (if you ever need one), the cardiologist will follow you up for life, help you control your BP which is the most important factor, and monitor to ensure you don't develop new ones. Aortic disease specialists devote their time researching everything related to aortic diseases, aortic valves, etc. they communicate with each other . To find one usually look at cardiologists and in their bios it will usually describe their interests and focus, look for "aortic diseases", or other similar phrases.

You know you have it and can plan and monitor, not everyone gets that chance!!!

All the best!!!

@moonboy Thank you for your response, I appreciate it. The cardiothoracic surgeon I saw has 35 years experience w open heart surgery and aneurysms, that’s why requested to see him personally. Even though the CTA showed ‘no aneurysm’ the surgeon said I do have a 4 cm one which is why he I am getting it repeated in 6 months. If I had not made the appointment with the Cardiothoracic surgeon myself and had him look at the scan my PCP would have assumed I was ‘fine’ w no repeat tests necessary. I do trust this surgeon as he did my husbands open heart surgery when my husband was 49, every artery blocked and he is now 66 and doing great, however, as much as I trust the surgeon I do plan on getting a 2nd opinion. Thank you!!

@houston13 Yes I do have a cardiologist, I follow up with him in October. Thankfully I do not have high blood pressure. Don’t have a clue how I got this issue as no one in my family has a history of heart disease and neither did I until I did!! I don’t have any of the underlying medical issues either! Glad they found it early enough tho!

My AA was discovered at age 67 yo. Female. Accident on vacation in September 2025.

Fell down outside steps to rental condo. Had to have ambulance & went to emergency room at Ocean City Maryland. Follow up with Kaiser in Gaithersburg Maryland.
Now don't really have a petsono L Doctor or network.... But was told to take 1 81 mg baby aspirin daily & " Watch it".
No history of high blot pressure, take no medication except eye drops ( prescription).
Not overweight. Walk daily, eat mostly homemade food.
However; Family history of Cancer ( not me) also obesity ( not me) Alcohol abuse ( not me ... Not much ). Very young at death....4 of my 7 siblings passed away before age of 61. Father died at 64 -- lung cancer ( smoker); mother 76 stomach cancer. 2 surviving siblings have had major cancer.
Also, most of us have had major back operations.
I had L4 disc surgery at age 30.
Very successful.

Last doctor told me that the blood flow from my heart to my brain via main artery is " pulsating" as opposed to an even flow in NORMAL humans. And when she put the steptoscope to my neck We could hear the disruption !!

I am so glad to hear that you are following through with testing, action, etc. My family had never heard of the word "aneurysm" until our petite, completely healthy 75 year old mother dropped dead on her way home from church. If there is ANY piece of evidence that you have an aneurysm, you MUST follow through. Aneurysms don't give second chances. Since my mother's death, we have identified three other relatives, including myself, with an aneurysm. My brother has his 3rd one right now and has had surgery on 2 of them previously. He just turned 80. Congratulations for using your common sense and moving forward. Blessings to you.

@rosemarycrochford Are you seeing a cardiologist or any other doctor who specializes in aneurysms? I am so sorry for your loss of family members. Hope you find a good doctor who can help you

@professorkrh I am sorry for the loss of your Mother. My sister died of a brain aneurysm at 54 yrs old. It’s devastating to lose someone so quickly at any age. To think I had a $50 Calcium Score test and they found it on that test but my Echocardiogram and CTA, almost $5,000 a piece showed no sign of an aneurysm. However my Cardiothoracic Surgeon measured it and showed me where it is on the scan. It is small at 4 cm but to think if I believed the two tests I would be walking around believing I didn’t have an aneurysm. Being able to share my diagnosis w other people who are dealing with this gives me some comfort and a lot of knowledge. Take care of yourself and I pray you and your family members continue to have good health.

@mazdon60 Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and for sharing your story. These things absolutely make a difference when living day-to-day with this kind of health issue. I feel a familial relationship with each person who is communicating on this site. You have to experience it with others to be able to make any sense of it. I actually had a "moment of relief" experience when mine was discovered since by that time, I knew it was genetic and that sometime along the way I would most likely have an aneurysm. Knowing is the absolutely best thing that can happen. Knowing means taking action early on. Please continue to share. Professorkrh (Karen)

@professorkrh I told my husband being diagnosed w this aneurysm is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because I know I have it and it’s a curse because I know I have it. It’s all I think about, especially when my time isn’t being occupied, as soon as I sit down for the day, it all comes back. Im hoping w time it gets easier to live with. I’ve only known about it since 6/29/26. I guess it’s like telling a cancer patient not to think about having cancer, it’s impossible NOT to think about it. Im grateful I know and that I am being monitored but the scary part is the waiting. Take care!!