Diseases of the aorta
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
| Cardiology Network |
 Discuss Diseases of the aorta further in the WikiDoc Cardiology Network |
| Adult Congenital |
|---|
| Biomarkers |
| Cardiac Rehabilitation |
| Congestive Heart Failure |
| CT Angiography |
| Echocardiography |
| Electrophysiology |
| Cardiology General |
| Genetics |
| Health Economics |
| Hypertension |
| Interventional Cardiology |
| MRI |
| Nuclear Cardiology |
| Peripheral Arterial Disease |
| Prevention |
| Public Policy |
| Pulmonary Embolism |
| Stable Angina |
| Valvular Heart Disease |
| Vascular Medicine |
Editor-in-Chief: Amjad AlMahameed, MD, MPH, RPVI, FACP. Beth Israel Decaoness Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Boston, USA
Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [1] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
Aortic Aneurysm
The term aneurysm is derived from the Greek word (aneurysmos) meaning dilatation. The most common site for true arterial aneurysms is the infra-renal aorta. A true aneurysm is a circumscribed dilatation of the three layers of vessel wall with a diameter increase of at least 50% compared to that of the proximal segment (i.e., the the dilated segment is 1.5 times that of the adjacent proximal segment). Ectasia, on the other hand, is a mild dilatation (luminal diameter increased by <50%) that is due to age-related degenerative changes in the vessel wall. Pheotypically, aneurysms are further classified as fusiform (symmetric involvement of the entire aortic circumference) or saccular (focal outpouching of part of the vessel wall). While most aneurysms are silent, a variety of symptoms and life-threatening complications can occur. Timely diagnosis and treatment of aortic aneurysms is critical.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms
Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) encompass all aneurysms the aorta between the aortic root and the crura of the diaphragm. The aortic root and the ascending vthoracic aorta are the most common sites of TAAs (60%), followed by the descending thoracic aorta (40%). Involvement of the aortic arch and/or extension of a TAA into the abdominal aorta (AA) (so called thoracoabdominal aneurysms) are relatively uncommon subsets (each encountered in 10% of cases or less).
TAAs are relatively uncommon with an estimated incidence between 6 and 10 new aneurysms per 100,000 person-years. TAAs are usually diagnosed after the sixth decade of life and they typically expand slowly (approximately 0.1-0.2 cm/year). The risk of rupture is closely related to aneurysm size (3% for TAAs <4 cm and 7% for >6 cm). These bioepidemiological characteristics support the current stand that screening for TAA is not recommended in the general population. Certain population substrates, such as those with history of Marfan syndrome, Turner syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos type IV syndrome, familial thoracic aortic disease syndromes, and patients with bicuspid aortic valve should have imaging study to screen for TAAs.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Since the abdominal aorta tends to be about 2 cm in diameter, a true AAA measures >3.0 cm. However, studies showed that the normal diameter varies depending on the patient’s age, sex, height, weight, race, body surface area, and baseline blood pressure. Hence, using a diameter ratio (> 1.5 the proximal segment) may be more accurate, particularly in smaller people such as women and those of short stature.
Aortic Dissection
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
