Thanks to the work of the circulatory system, nutrition of all organs and systems of our body becomes possible. It is blood that transports oxygen and nutrients, and produces metabolic products and carbon dioxide.
The circulatory system consists of the heart and numerous blood vessels, and the aorta acts as 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.
Structure
In total, 3 sections of the aorta are distinguished:
- ascending;
- arc;
- the descending part of the aorta (thoracic, abdominal).
The thoracic part is located in the chest area and is adjacent to the spine. From this main vessel there are branches of 2 species:
- internal branches;
- parietal.
The first group includes:
- Esophageal.
- Bronchial.
- Pericardial.
- Mediastinal.
The second group:
- Intercostal.
- Diaphragmatic.
Functions Performed
The thoracic aorta provides blood supply to the organs of the body. Let's take a brief look at this process on the viscera branches. So, food branches are engaged in blood supply to the walls of the esophagus, bronchial - lung tissue. Let us immediately pay attention to where the end branches pass - the esophagus, pleura, pericardial sac, bronchial lymph nodes. We also mentioned pericardial branches that supply blood to the pericardial sac, and mediastinal branches provide nutrition:
- mediastinal organs;
- connective tissue;
- lymph nodes.
You can not go past the second group - parietal branches. They provide nutrition:
- direct and wide muscles of the abdomen;
- mammary gland;
- intercostal muscles;
- breast skin
- back skin;
- spinal muscles;
- spinal cord.
Diseases
Now we will talk about the most common diseases of the thoracic aorta:
- thoracic aortic atherosclerosis;
- aneurysm.
Let us briefly dwell on each of them. What is atherosclerosis? This is a disease that leads to the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels. All this leads to deformation and circulatory disorders. Thus, there is a lack of nutrition of internal organs, the consequence is a violation 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, and malfunctioning of organs occurs. 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 aneurysm, expansion or bulging of the aorta can be observed. This disease is quite dangerous, since the aorta can simply burst. 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 the protrusion of blood vessels? So we observe the blood pressure that passes through the weakened area.
Diagnostics
The components of the diagnosis of diseases of the thoracic aorta are as follows:
- history taking;
- examination of the patient;
- heart rate measurement;
- measurement of blood pressure not only on two hands, but also on both legs;
- palpation of the abdomen;
- auscultation of the carotid artery;
- auscultation of the abdominal aorta;
- X-ray
- tomography;
- Ultrasound
Immediately draw your attention to the fact that a specialist consultation in this matter is simply necessary. It is not possible to make a diagnosis independently, and self-medication can only aggravate the current situation.
Symptoms of aneurysm
It is very important to know that the thoracic aortic aneurysm, as well as its atherosclerosis, begins to develop imperceptibly - no symptoms are observed in the patient. As already mentioned, a protrusion begins to form, which can reach huge sizes, but at the same time not bother the patient. Symptoms may appear only at the moment when this protrusion begins to compress neighboring organs. In this case, at least one of the following symptoms is observed:
- chest pain;
- pain in the neck;
- lower back pain;
- cough;
- labored breathing;
- a hoarse voice;
- bloody sputum in the sputum;
- difficulty swallowing food;
- strong throbbing in the chest area.
If you break, you can feel acute pain in the back, which will flow into the abdomen, chest and arms. A gap cannot be allowed for the reason that in this case only 30% of the patients can be saved.
Causes of the 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 damage to the walls of blood vessels.
We immediately draw 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.
Diagnosis of the disease
Aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, as a rule, is detected unexpectedly with any examination. If you have at least one of the symptoms of the disease, you should consult a doctor. Aneurysm can be accurately diagnosed with the following studies:
- radiography;
- chest x-ray;
- CT scan;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- ultrasonography;
- aortography.
Treatment
Only a specialist can prescribe adequate therapy for thoracic aortic aneurysm. Often, they resort to surgical intervention, however, medication is also possible. With this pathology, the following is recommended:
- Blood pressure control. Allowable indicators are 140/90, and if concomitant diseases are present (diabetes, kidney disease), then 130/80.
- The administration of Ξ±-receptor blockers (for example, "Phentolamine") is prescribed.
- Reception of Ξ²-receptor blockers (for example, "Nebivolol").
- Taking ACE inhibitors (for example, "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 aneurysm.
Operation
As mentioned earlier, the most common treatment for the thoracic aortic aneurysm is surgery. Indeed, with this pathology, there is a high probability of rupture of the vessel and the death of the patient. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the operation is carried out with a lesion diameter of more than seven and a half centimeters. An exception is patients with Marfan syndrome, who are much more likely to rupture. The operation in this case is carried out with a smaller diameter of damage.
It should immediately be clarified why the operation is not done right away, 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 ββthe vessel is removed and the artificial one is installed. What is good about this prosthesis:
- It is not rejected by the body.
- There is no need for repeated operations.
- The prosthesis functions normally until the end of the patient's life.
Postoperative period
After undergoing surgery for prosthetics of the thoracic aorta, it is necessary to adhere to all the advice of the attending physician:
- Moderate physical activity (start with a walk, then proceed to light physical exercises that do not cause pain).
- Compliance with the diet. First you need to adhere to diet No. 0, it is used during rehabilitation. Next - No. 10, which is prescribed to all patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Before discharge of the patient from the hospital - bed rest.
- After discharge (within a month) driving is prohibited, lifting weights of more than ten kilograms, taking a bath.
- Take all prescribed medications strictly as directed by your doctor.
- Healthy lifestyle. Stop smoking, alcohol. Try less stress. Bring your weight back to normal, eat right.
Be mindful of your health. If you find the following symptoms: body temperature 38 Β° C or more, pain in the legs, back, place of surgery, discharge from the wound (with open surgery), immediately call an ambulance.