Thanks to the work of the circulatory system, it becomes possible to feed all organs and systems of our body. It is the blood that transports oxygen and nutrients, removes metabolic products and carbon dioxide.
The circulatory system consists of the heart and numerous blood vessels, and the aorta is the largest vessel in the body. And then we will talk about its specific part - the thoracic aorta. As you might guess, it is located in the chest area. The thoracic aorta originates in the heart. It is the state and functioning of this part of the vessel that is responsible for the state of our entire body.
Building
In total, 3 sections of the aorta are distinguished:
- ascending;
- arc;
- descending aorta (thoracic, abdominal).
The chest part is located in the chest area and is adjacent to the spine. From this main vessel there are branches of 2 types:
- internal branches;
- wall.
The first group includes:
- Esophageal.
- Bronchial.
- Pericardial.
- Mediastinal.
Second group:
- Intercostal.
- Diaphragmatic.
Performed functions
The thoracic aorta supplies blood to the organs of the body. Let's look briefly at this process on internal branches. So, food branches are engaged in blood supply to the walls of the esophagus, bronchial - lung tissues. Let's immediately pay attention to where the terminal branches pass - the esophagus, pleura, pericardial sac, bronchial lymph nodes. We also mentioned the pericardial branches, which supply blood to the pericardial sac, and the mediastinal branches provide nutrition:
- mediastinal organs;
- connective tissue;
- lymph nodes.
You can't go past the second group - parietal branches. They provide food:
- straight and broad abdominal muscles;
- breast;
- intercostal muscles;
- chest skin;
- back skin;
- spinal muscles;
- spinal cord.
Diseases
Now we will talk about the most common diseases of the thoracic aorta:
- atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta;
- aneurysm.
Let's briefly dwell on each of them. What is atherosclerosis? This is a disease that causes the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels. This all leads to deformation and circulatory disorders. Thus, there is a lack of nutrition of internal organs, a consequence -disruption of their functioning. Generally speaking, the plaques that form on the walls of blood vessels interfere with normal blood flow due to lack of nutrition, malfunctions occur in the organs. The main cause of the disease is excess fat in the arteries.
The second disease mentioned above is the most serious complication of atherosclerosis. With an aneurysm, you can observe the expansion or bulging of the aorta. This disease is quite dangerous, since the aorta can simply rupture. The latter leads to internal bleeding and death. That is why timely diagnosis and treatment of this disease (to prevent rupture) is so necessary. What causes bulging of blood vessels? So we observe the pressure of the blood that passes through the weakened area.
Diagnosis
The components of the diagnosis of diseases of the thoracic aorta look like this:
- gathering anamnesis;
- examination of the patient;
- measuring heart rate;
- measurement of blood pressure not only on two arms, but also on both legs;
- palpation of the abdomen;
- carotid auscultation;
- abdominal aortic auscultation;
- x-ray;
- tomography;
- Ultrasound.
We immediately draw your attention to the fact that expert advice in this matter is simply necessary. Self-diagnosis will not work, and self-treatment can only aggravate the situation.
Aneurysm symptoms
Veryit is also important to know that the aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, as well as its atherosclerosis, begins to develop imperceptibly - no symptoms are observed in the patient. As mentioned earlier, a protrusion begins to form, which can reach a huge size, but at the same time does not disturb the patient. Symptoms can appear only at the moment when this protrusion begins to compress neighboring organs. In this case, at least one of the following signs is observed:
- chest pain;
- neck pain;
- lower back pain;
- cough;
- shortness of breath;
- hoarse voice;
- bloody patches in sputum;
- difficulty swallowing food;
- strong pulsation in the chest area.
When you break, you can feel a sharp pain in the back, which will flow to the abdomen, chest and arms. A rupture should not be allowed for the reason that in this case only 30% of patients can be saved.
Causes of disease
As mentioned earlier, thoracic aortic aneurysm is a terrible consequence of atherosclerosis. But this is far from the only cause of the disease. This group includes:
- congenital diseases;
- consequence of injury;
- mycotic or syphilitic lesion of vessel walls.
Let's immediately pay attention to the fact that in most cases it is not possible to establish the true cause of the disease. But you can see that most patients have high blood pressure.
Disease diagnosis
Thoracic aneurysmparts of the aorta, as a rule, are found unexpectedly during any examination. If you have any of the symptoms of the disease, you should consult a doctor. An aneurysm can be accurately diagnosed with the following tests:
- radiography;
- chest x-ray;
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- ultrasound;
- aortography.
Treatment
Only a specialist can prescribe adequate therapy for a thoracic aortic aneurysm. Surgery is often used, but medical treatment is also possible. For this pathology, the following is recommended:
- Blood pressure control. Permissible indicators are 140/90, and if there are concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, kidney disease), then 130/80.
- Assigned to receive α-receptor blockers (for example, "Fentolamine").
- Taking β-receptor blockers (eg Nebivolol).
- Taking ACE inhibitors (eg Lisinopril).
- It is necessary to normalize the lipid level, that is, take statins (for example, Atorvastatin).
In addition to all of the above, the patient is recommended to radically change his lifestyle, especially for smokers. The thing is that it is smoking that provokes the expansion of the aneurysm.
Operation
As mentioned earlier,The most common treatment for a thoracic aortic aneurysm is surgery. Indeed, with this pathology, the probability of rupture of the vessel and death of the patient is high. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the operation is performed with a lesion diameter of more than seven and a half centimeters. The exception is patients with Marfan syndrome, who are much more likely to rupture. In this case, the operation is also carried out with a smaller diameter of the damage.
It should immediately be clarified why the operation is not done immediately, but they are trying to contain the disease with the help of medications. The fact is that this method of treatment is considered quite difficult, and the percentage of deaths during its implementation is about 15%.
During the operation, the affected area of the vessel is removed and an artificial one is installed. Why this prosthesis is good:
- It is not rejected by the body.
- No need for reoperations.
- The prosthesis functions normally until the end of the patient's life.
Post-operative period
After undergoing surgery for thoracic aortic prosthesis, you must follow all the advice of your doctor:
- Moderate physical activity (start with a walk, then move on to light exercise that does not cause pain).
- Dieting. First you need to stick to diet number 0, it is used during rehabilitation. Next - No. 10, which is prescribed for all patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Before dischargehospital patient - bed rest.
- After discharge (within a month), driving a car, lifting more than ten kilograms of weight, taking a bath is prohibited.
- Take all prescribed medications strictly as directed by your doctor.
- He althy lifestyle. Give up smoking, alcohol. Try to be less stressed. Bring your weight back to normal, eat right.
Be careful about your he alth. If you experience the following symptoms: body temperature of 38 ° C or more, pain in the legs, back, operation site, discharge from the wound (during open surgery), call an ambulance immediately.
