What is a thoracic aortic aneurysm?

What is a thoracic aortic aneurysm?

The aorta is the largest artery in your body, and it carries blood away from your heart to all the parts of your body. The part of your aorta that runs through your chest is called the thoracic aorta (this where Joel's problem is) and, when your aorta reaches your abdomen, it is called the abdominal aorta.

When a weak area of your thoracic aorta expands or bulges, it is called a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). Approximately 25 percent of aortic aneurysms occur in the chest, and the rest involve the abdominal aorta. Again, Joel's is in his chest.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms are a serious health risk because they can burst or rupture. A ruptured aneurysm can cause severe internal bleeding, which can rapidly lead to shock or death.
Thoracic aneurysms affect approximately 15,000 people in the United States each year. We seem to be 1 Percenters in this family. Only about 20 to 30 percent of patients who get to the hospital with a ruptured TAA survive. For this reason, it is crucial to treat large aneurysms early, in order to prevent their rupture. Thank God Joel's was caught. These doctors are so amazingly comprehensive here! They are repairing it with a stent graft as I type this.

What is Endovascular Stent Graft Repair?

Endovascular means that the treatment is performed inside your body using long, thin tubes called catheters. The catheters are inserted in small incisions in your groin, and sometimes your arms, and are guided through your blood vessels. During the procedure, Joel's surgeon will use live x-ray pictures viewed on a video screen to guide a stent-graft to the site of his aneurysm --upper part of his aorta. Like the graft used in open surgery, this stent-graft allows blood to flow through his aorta without putting pressure on the damaged wall of his aneurysm. This keeps his aneurysm from rupturing. Over time, his aneurysm should shrink.

With the endovascular stent-graft repair, it is particularly important that long-term follow-up with periodic scans of the aortic repair be done to be sure that the stent-graft is functioning properly. Sometimes further procedures are required to maintain the stent-graft if leaks develop or if it moves out of position. But, none of this should be a big deal because have transferred all Joel's medical records here and all of his follow up care and any future medical needs will be done here at Northwestern.