Ascending Aortic Anuerysm and preventing dissection.

I’m not sure about LVH, at 4.2 your aneurysm is on the small side though. The main way to reduce the possibility of growth and future surgery (you know you have it so you can plan for repair if it ever gets to a critical size and take dissection out of the picture), is to maintain a healthy BP. Hi BP is the worst enemy of an aneurysm. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise and keep yourself active but avoid any exertion that makes you hold your breath or grunt while doing it (lifting heavy weights, some abs exercises, etc) BP spikes for a few seconds while doing that and that is detrimental to your aneurysm.

The first thing in my mind is to find a cardiologist who specializes in aortic diseases, he/she will measure the size more accurately (CT rather than echo) and establish a protocol for follow up to determine the rate of growth (if any) and the frequency of follow ups. He/she would also weigh in the other issues (LVH).

I had a 5.2 cm ascending aortic aneurysm repaired in 2020, get seen every year by my cardiologist for life.

Again the LVH may be more critical than your aneurysm right now so finding the right cardiologist is paramount.

You know you have the aneurysm and can monitor and plan, not everyone has that opportunity.

Wish you the best!!

Houston13,

I certainly appreciate you sharing this information with me.

Im glad you had your anuerysm repaired .

I hope you are doing well.

My blood pressure has been spiking a lot. Ill be sure to manage it well with B/P medication.

I will find a cardiologist who specializes in aortic diseases. Along with the exercises suggested that don't spike my blood pressure.

The very best to you.

Thank you,
Britt013

On the right course Britt013. Stay calm and take it one step at a time . Good Luck .

I have a 4.0cm dilated ascending aorta and currently found out that I have a high BP of 130+/85, pulse rate 63, currently on high BP medication Micardis 40mmgm, can you advice on how I can manage the condition.
Appreciate heaps
JW601

Hi, I’m not a Dr and I always, as I said above, recommend folks with aortic issues to find a good cardiologist who specializes in aortic diseases, they know what the proper protocols are for each individual case, he/she will evaluate and recommend ways (medication combination) that best will work in your case and will look for any other issues that may affect you (family history/genetics, other conditions, determine growth rate, etc), that is paramount. I found one and he is incredibly knowledgeable and always gives me answers and recommendations, I see him once a year after an echo to evaluate my graft and my aortic valve (mine is bicuspid and will need replacing at some point) and every 4-5 years orders complete MRIs (groin, abdomen, chest and head) to ensure no other aneurysms are appearing.

I couldn’t comment on your particular medications as again I would leave that to your cardiologist.

Having said that, you dilation is very small and being concerned about your BP is the right approach to take. Besides medication, I found that if I workout often my BP lowers significantly, a combination of aerobic and strength exercises work for me. Strength exercises that don’t involve lifting heavy weights or require too much effort as that would bring the risk of BP rising while exerting. Treat your body well, if you smoke stop.

Controlling stress, is also important, yoga, meditation, hobbies and activities that bring you joy.

I hope things go well for you, you found the right place to get recommendations and hear other people’s experiences, everyone here has gone through a similar situation.

All the best!!!

I had/have the LVH which always gets picked up by Echocardiagrams but not CT with IV contrast. I have had 4 of each the past year. I also had near laryngitis and a dry persistent cough when my mid ascending aorta was at 4.7 cm and the root at 4.8. However, it turns out I had several other things going on including congenital issues that wasn't found until I went into Mayo for a 2nd opinion on the Aneurysm. After surgery and the other things were fixed along with the root and proximal ascending aorta were repaired, the cough and hoarseness went away. Of course I still am monitoring a mid to distal ascending aortic aneurysm of 4.2 to 4.6 cm. I just had a 1 year follow-up Echo and CT Thursday at Mayo and talked to cardiologist on Friday. We will be doing more scans no farther out than 1 year. My point is don't assume that the aortic aneurysm is the only thing you have going on. Last July & Aug 2024, I had an CT with IV contrast and 3 catheter procedures that found 4 other major things.

I agree with everything Houston says. The most important thing for you to know is that you now know you’ve got an issue and you can monitor it. That way when you reach a threshold that is surgically operative, you can make a plan with your family and your employer to have that surgery and save your life. It is an absolute gift to know that you have this problem because it’s so lethal if you don’t. So in any event, I’m glad to hear that you are under the care of a good doctor, but be sure that you are Best friends with a super experienced cardio thoracic surgeon in a major metro area cardiac care center who’s in your speed dial… Peace.