Newly Diagnosed: 4.9 cm ascending aortic looking for support

One thing to add. The measurement of the AAA is not exact. It varies by the radiologist and doctor who does it. In my case my local radiologist and heart doctor show that I am at 4.2 cm for the past 3 years but I also send the scans a Cardiothoracic specialist at a large University hospital in Houston, who has done tons of these procedures and he reads it at 4.5 cm. If/when I need surgery, they are the ones I would go to.

@breick I did call them and they are in the process of getting my information for an appointment. They’re three hours drive away, so I am considering them too.

@23997929 I had my surgery at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, and it could not have gone smoother, one of the best surgeons/surgery team, all the best!!

Moonboy thank you for all your input. I have learned a lot from you. I also have an aneurysm of the ascending in the neighborhood of 5 depending what imaging I am to use. I have an echo at 5 however a ct scan with contrast showing 3.8 which I just had done which is significantly different and just boggles my mind they can be so different. Online, they said the ct is the gold standard however the Cardiologist says he uses the echo numbers and will see me in 6 months. Either way I know I have an issue which is a lot better than not knowing. I will continue to follow his direction and that is minimize stress, keep bp under control and keep lifting under 25 lbs. But thanks again for all your info

@houston13 Thanks. Being followed by the Cardiothoracic team at Baylor. Do not live in Houston anymore but they review may annual scans and that is where I would go if/when I need surgery.

When I lived there, I would go for regular heart check ups every 2 years, which included an ultrasound. Because of these checks which were normal for years, my condition was identified early. If not for them I might not be around to type this note.

My son-in-law at 50 last summer, was diagnosed with a 4,9 AAA AND a ‘healthy’ bicuspid valve. He is VERY healthy, lifts weights, avid hiker and skier. All bloodwork and BP normal. Longevity in fam(dad 88 and mom 90.) The drs did not want to take a chance since he wants to keep his exercise regime. So tomorrow, he has the open heart surgery to repair the root. Will be on the heart/lung machine for a 5/6 hr surgery. Praying that they don’t accidentally damage his apparently healthy bicuspid valve. Out come is supposed to be very positive. I lost my husband(54) 30 years back to the dissection of the aorta. You and my son-in-law are fortunate you’ve been diagnosed early. Good luck to you and wish you the best outcome!

@lmcfarland did you consider getting retested with a ct /contrast in a few months. it could change hopefully for the better

@23997929 that’s right, think we discussed that before, mine was at Memorial Hermann/UT physicians

@flaxxy703 I am brand new to all of this so thank you for sharing that information.

I am not local to the scene (USA). But I learned a lot from this forum - looking for answers after my emergency.
@moonboy @rlhix @houston13 are MVPs - always ready and willing to discuss with personal, yet devastating experiences. Definitely heroes here - and there are many others that read my stories and responded very helpfully.
For me I was asking all the questions after my surgery. Doctors asked me beforehand the whole list of known conditions of which I had none. Calcium low, cholesterol low and frequently checked, fats all in good ranges, BMI mid-range. In general good health. Non drinker, non smoker, not really athletic but certainly active, no family history (and there is the rub) - but they said "it must be genetic" and asked my sister to get checked. She did and nothing really going on.
And this got me down - I was looking for a raison d'etre - a reason for existing. But perhaps I will never know.
I had no idea what was happening still 5 minutes before emergency surgery - I thought I was going home. A lot of professionals tell me that "sometimes things can just happen and do not need a reason". That's good enough for me.
But you have time and resources - you have taken the initiative and started advocating for yourself. Find the answers now. Size is a number, but everyone is different, and I cannot even advise my (ficticious) twin what s/he should do. Except knowledge is power - to you.
I am left with a residual dissection from my aortic graft down into the iliacs and into my kidney and great vessels. So I am tested a lot.
CT Angiogram, echocardiogram, blood chemistry - I see a vascular surgeon every six months and my cardiac surgeon, and my cardiologist, and heart failure nurse practitioner.
So I would expect that you will have a series of tests over time. And changes to sizes of everything is new information. Comparisons will be made and the team will use that to set a timeline of monitoring and intervention (if required). Don't be concerned by small variations in sizes. I come from a country where 0.1 and 0.3 are kind of the same - millimetres. And the scans will have a margin of variation so don't be worried about small variations - these can be down to the scan, the doctor reading the scan, the teams reading the results etc.
My aorta is 3.8cm and changed slightly - by millimetres. That doesn't concern me. But if it changed drastically then they would tell me and we could do something - some planning and monitoring.
So I guess I am ready for the Phase 2 of my aortic process (watching/waiting) - which might be similar to your situation now. And everyone is telling me to "get advice, and watch and wait".