The thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons at Shands at UF are experienced in diagnosing and treating complex diseases of the aorta, including aortic aneurysms, thoracic aneurysms and aortic dissections .

Learn more about:

• The aorta and diseases of the aorta
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Shands at UF Difference

About the Aorta and Aortic Diseases

The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. It extends from the chest to the abdomen, where it branches into the iliac arteries, which carry blood to the lower parts of the body and to the legs.

Whether due to a congenital problem, heart disease or trauma, a section of the aorta may weaken and begin to bulge—an aneurysm. The great concern with an aneurysm is the risk of rupture.

Another problem that can occur within the aorta is a dissection. Like a sheet of plywood, the aorta is comprised of three layers. A dissection occurs when the layers separate, allowing blood to leak from the aorta.

Diagnosis

Early diagnosis and treatment are critical.

Aneurysms often produce either no symptoms or mild symptoms, so routine examinations are the best defense against more serious problems—even if an aneurysm doesn’t rupture, it can affect circulation and contribute to blood clots forming.

Dissections, on the other hand, can cause severe pain in the chest and back. These tears are most often diagnosed in the emergency room and are repaired with emergency surgery.

Symptoms of an aortic aneurysm depend on the location of the aneurysm. Most often, an aneurysm is discovered through a chest x-ray, ultrasound or CT scan. Further diagnosis can be made by echocardiography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Occasionally, a test called an aortogram (a special set of x-ray images made during injection of dye into the aorta) is required.

Treatment

Treatment for an aortic aneurysm depends on the size, type and location of the aneurysm as well as a person’s general health. The goal when treating aneurysms of any type is to prevent the aorta from bursting or affecting the blood supply to other areas of the body.

When an aneurysm is small, regular monitoring may be enough. Medication may be used to control blood pressure and reduce pressure on the aneurysm. If an aneurysm becomes larger or is growing rapidly it has more risk of rupturing and surgical repair may be necessary, including:

• Minimally invasive endovascular repair
• Traditional surgical repair

Minimally invasive endovascular repair

• Endovascular means inside or within a blood vessel. Instead of making a large incision in the chest, the surgeon makes small incisions that provide access to an artery. With special instruments, the surgeon is able to insert an endovascular stent graft, essentially a fabric tube, into the arteries and positioned inside the aorta. This permanent graft seals off the aneurysm and makes a new path through which the blood flows.
• An endovascular repair typically takes one to three hours to complete.
• Because cuts used for endovascular repair are much smaller than the cut used for traditional surgery, patients may experience less discomfort and faster recovery. A hospital stay of two to four days and complete recovery in one to two weeks can be expected.

Traditional surgical repair

• Not every patient is a candidate for endovascular repair. To use a stent graft, undamaged segments of the aorta are needed, so the stent can create a stable seal that will not leak. Traditional open heart surgery may be necessary to perform more extensive repairs to the aorta. New techniques have allowed the surgeons at Shands at UF to perform “hybrid” procedures that combine endovascular techniques with open heart procedures to treat many more complex problems.

The Shands at UF Difference

Dedicated to providing rapid, cutting edge, quality medical and surgical care to every patient with diseases of the aorta, Shands at UF thoracic and cardiovascular specialists have performed thousands of aortic operations in the past decade.

Patients are treated for all types of aortic diseases by:

• a multidisciplinary team of surgeons
• intensive care specialists
• anesthesiologists
• cardiologists
• radiologists
• nurses
• physician’s assistants

Special areas of expertise and research include acute and chronic dissections, aortic valve sparing procedures, transfemoral thoracic stent grafting, native aortic or prosthetic graft infections, brain and spinal cord protection during and following aortic operations and patients with complex medical problems prior to surgery. The thoracic and cardiovascular team at Shands at UF has experience with the latest techniques to repair the aorta, performing more than 500 aortic procedures each year.

Information

For more information about Shands at UF Heart Care or to schedule a new patient appointment, please call 800.749.7424 or 352.265.0943.

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Make an Appointment

To make a new patient appointment or find out more information about heart care services offered at Shands at the University of Florida, please call 352.265.0943 .

You may also email our Consultation Center (consult@shands.ufl.edu) or use our secure online form.