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Aortic Root Aneurysm treatment/ advice

Posted by trki @trki, Jan 19 8:01pm

I’m posting on my husband’s behalf. He is currently being treated for aggressive prostate cancer.

( had radiation and now on ADT medication) Age 74

He has been monitored by a local cardiologist since 2019, and more recently, this month , is being evaluated by a Cardio Oncology Specialist at Mayo, Arizona. ( where he is also being treated for his prostate cancer)

Echo 12/23/2019, Aortic root 3.9 cm

Echo, 02/03/2023 Aortic Root 4.0 cm

Echo, 08/21/2024, Aortic Root 4.6 cm

CT Chest, 08/27/2024, Aortic Root 4.5-4.6

Echo, 12/02/2024, Aortic Root 4.7 cm

Echo, 01/10/2025, Aortic Root 5.1 cm, also moderate to severe aortic valve regurgitation

CT Angiogram, 01/17/2025 Aortic Root 4.9 cm

He was put on Losartan 25 mg in August 2024, 1x daily, which was increased to 25 mg twice a day on 01/10/2025

His BP is still unstable, Systolic in the mid 130’s most of the time.

The new specialist has referred him for a genetic and vascular consults. Have not heard from scheduling yet. ( will call scheduling next week)
What else should we be doing , asking for?
The aneurysm has been expanding fairly quickly. We are very anxious

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aortic Aneurysms Support Group.

staceyc25 | @staceyc25 | 1 day ago

For calming and rebalancing nerves, overall well being I always recommend Reiki a method of energy healing. It can help support you in all ways through this difficult process🙏🌀

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1 reply
pittsburghdad | @pittsburghdad | 1 day ago
In reply to @trki "As an update to my post of four days ago, my husband had a long consultation..." + (show)
@trki

As an update to my post of four days ago, my husband had a long consultation with a cardiologist part of the Aorta clinic at Mayo.

He believes my husband’s 4.9 cm aortic root aneurysm is due to a genetic disorder, possibly Marfan’s .

He has a genetic consult next week with Mayo.

If no genetic disorder is identified, he will be monitored with an Echo in 3 months( at my request), and a Ct Angiogram in 6 months.
I still think he should be a candidate for Surgery now , just due to the fairly quick growth of the aneurysm and the moderate to severe aortic valve regurgitation..

Good news is his BP is more stable for the past few days … Hope it maintains!

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The results of the genetic testing will be important. The typical surgical threshold is lower for people with Marfan's or another genetic disorder: only 4.5 cm, as opposed to 5.0 cm for someone without any genetic marker.

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trki | @trki | 21 hours ago
In reply to @hercules "Im so sorry your husband and you are going through all of this. The uncertainty, the..." + (show)
@hercules

Im so sorry your husband and you are going through all of this. The uncertainty, the anxiety can be so brutal. From the minute you find out you have an aneurysm in your aorta, you don't ever think about your heart without considering it again. 🙁 There are a fair number of people out there walking around with them that don't know it because they haven't had any symptomatic medical condition that was being investigated that warranted scans and discovery of them. In their cases ignorance is bliss I suppose! But even if you all don't have all the answers in this very moment, you do have some information, working on a plan to address and fix the issue, putting together the team of doctors who will help you fix the issue, etc. so that's a good thing! Hopefully you both can find some peace of mind in that to help you during this waiting period. I'd say if your doctors are at mayo, you are in pretty good hands as they are one of the top centers but if it helps your husband and you mentally nothing is wrong with having another top center at least looking at your husband's case for a second opinion if you haven't done so already. You can send his records over to Cleveland Clinic to have a consultation by tele/video with that team of doctors there, or perhaps consult directly with a Cardiothoracic Surgeon vs. Cardiologist at your own center if you haven't done so already. If so forgive me, I don't know all the details of your journey thus far. Sometimes I think just feeling like you are doing something active in addressing all your concerns by reviewing your team and the plan and looking at all the other alternatives is helpful with the anxiety a bit. In any case I hope everything will turn out very well for your husband and he is able to get the surgery that will correct the issue for him soon. Wishing you both good health!

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Thanks for your thoughtful response...

It is true that once an aneurysms been diagnosed, it is hard to not be hyper focused on your condition.

Mayo so far has been proactive and we are waiting for the genetic testing to be done.
If he does have an identified genetic disorder, then we will ask for a surgical consult ASAP.

I'm open to getting a surgical second opinion ....of course my husband will need to commit to that as well.

Thanks for your good wishes!

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trki | @trki | 21 hours ago
In reply to @pittsburghdad "The results of the genetic testing will be important. The typical surgical threshold is lower for..." + (show)
@pittsburghdad

The results of the genetic testing will be important. The typical surgical threshold is lower for people with Marfan's or another genetic disorder: only 4.5 cm, as opposed to 5.0 cm for someone without any genetic marker.

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Yes, we are very much hoping he has a genetic disorder. Right now his symptoms/presentation fits best with a Marfans diagnosis.

Hard to wait for the genetics consult and testing results!

Because his aneurysm has been rowing quickly, we are hoping they would use the 5cm vs 5.5cm mark as the trigger for surgery. ( if he doesn't have a genetic diagnosis)

Thanks for your feedback!

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trki | @trki | 21 hours ago
In reply to @staceyc25 "For calming and rebalancing nerves, overall well being I always recommend Reiki a method of energy..." + (show)
@staceyc25

For calming and rebalancing nerves, overall well being I always recommend Reiki a method of energy healing. It can help support you in all ways through this difficult process🙏🌀

Jump to this post

Thanks for your recommendation!

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