Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms

Thoracic aortic aneurysms are aneurysms, or increased weakened areas within certain areas of the aorta. To be classified as a thoracic aortic aneurysm it can be located in the ascending, arch, or descending portion of the aorta. Patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms typically experience no symptoms. If they do experience symptoms they could be short of breath or have chest or back pain. When an aneurysm ruptures patients experience severe pain. Many patients die before they even reach a hospital for treatment. Success for treatment of ruptured aortic aneurysms is only about 50 percent. If aneurysms are detected prior to rupture blood pressure can be controlled, and regular checks of the size of the aneurysms are the first steps of treatment. Diagnosis is typically found by accident while imaging another body area, in patients that are having minimal or no symptoms. Resection or grafting can be done to prevent rupturing of the aneurysm, but are typically performed only when the size of the aneurysm has reached certain limits. CT imaging of a thoracic aortic aneurysm can be seen above.