Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor
Informed patients make better patients.
Question:
Is there a level of urgency with my husband's situation?
My husband is 71 years of age and was recently evaluated by a cardiologist. He is a runner and is in excellent health. A calcium score in April of 2013 was 395.87. A CAT scan in November 2013 revealed a dilated thoracic ascending aorta of 4.1. It was 4.3 in April of this year. Our cardiologist wants to wait another year to evaluate. We aren't comfortable with waiting that long to be re-evaluated. Do you think there is a level of urgency with this situation? Thanking you in advance for your response.
submitted by Marla from Dallas, Texas
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiovascular surgeon, David A. Ott, MD
We would normally not worry about an aorta of this size and would follow him with an annual CAT scan until the aorta reaches 5 centimeters, unless he has new symptoms or other issues such as Marfan's Syndrome, which he apparently does not have.
See also on this site:
Has your question or a similar one already been answered?
Search all the Heart Doctor questions and answers.
To search for a doctor or access St. Luke's physician referral service, use the "Find a Doctor" link at the top of this page.
Updated January 2014
