What is the Difference Between Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

The key difference between thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm is that thoracic aortic aneurysm is a type of aneurysm that involves the ascending and descending aorta in the thoracic cavity, while abdominal aortic aneurysm is a type of aneurysm that involves the infrarenal abdominal aorta.

Aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in blood vessels. It usually starts in a weak spot in the blood vessel. Aneurysms are described according to their anatomical locations. Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms are two different types of aneurysms.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm  
3. What is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
4. Similarities – Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
5. Thoracic vs. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
7. Summary – Thoracic vs. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

What is Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm?

A thoracic aortic aneurysm is a weakened area in the main artery of the chest. It involves the ascending and descending aorta in the thoracic cavity. The symptoms of this condition may include back pain, cough, weak, scratchy voice, shortness of breath, tenderness or pain in the chest, sharp, sudden pain in the upper back that spreads downward, pain in the chest, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and trouble swallowing. A thoracic aortic aneurysm can be caused by hardening of the arteries, genetic conditions such as Marfan syndrome, blood vessel inflammation, irregular aortic valve, untreated infection, and traumatic injury. The complications involved in this condition are life-threatening bleeding in the body, blood clots, and stroke.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation, echocardiogram, cardiac CT scan, and MRI. Furthermore, treatment options for a thoracic aortic aneurysm are medications, such as beta-blockers, angiotensin 2 receptor blockers, and statins.

What is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm?

An abdominal aortic aneurysm happens when the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the stomach becomes weakened. It involves the infrarenal abdominal aorta. The symptoms of this condition are stomach or back pain, a pulsing feeling in the stomach, stomach or back pain that does not go away or keeps coming back and feeling a lump in the tummy. Abdominal aortic aneurysm can be caused by hardening of arteries, high blood pressure, blood vessel diseases, infection in the aorta, and trauma. The complications in this condition are bleeding, limb ischemia, delayed rupture secondary to endoleak, abdominal compartment syndrome, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, graft infection, colon ischemia, renal failure, bowel obstruction, blue toe syndrome, amputation, impotence, lymphocele, and death.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm can be diagnosed through physical examination and ultrasound scan. Furthermore, treatment options for abdominal aortic aneurysms may include lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and eating healthy, medicine to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and surgery to reduce the risk of aneurysm bursting.

What are the Similarities Between Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm?

• Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms are two different types of aneurysms.
• Both conditions can cause complications.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical symptom evaluation and imaging tests.
• They can be treated through specific medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm?

A thoracic aortic aneurysm is a type of aneurysm that involves the ascending and descending aorta in the thoracic cavity, while abdominal aortic aneurysm is a type of aneurysm that involves the infrarenal abdominal aorta. Thus, this is the key difference between thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Furthermore, thoracic aortic aneurysms can be caused by hardening of the arteries, genetic conditions such as Marfan syndrome, blood vessel inflammation, irregular aortic valve, untreated infection, and traumatic injury. On the other hand, abdominal aortic aneurysms can be caused by hardening of arteries, high blood pressure, blood vessel diseases, infection in the aorta, and trauma.

The infographic below presents the differences between thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

What is the most common site of a thoracic aneurysm?

The aortic root and/or ascending aorta is the site for around sixty percent of thoracic aneurysms.

Which is more common abdominal or thoracic aneurysm?

Abdominal aortic aneurysms are more common than thoracic aneurysms.

What is the best imaging for thoracic aneurysm?

A cardiac MRI is the best imaging technique for the diagnosis of thoracic aneurysm.

Summary – Thoracic vs. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

An aneurysm is an abnormal swelling or bulge in the blood vessels’ wall, such as the artery. Aneurysms are classified according to their anatomical locations. Therefore, thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm are two different types of aneurysms. A thoracic aortic aneurysm is a weakened area in the main artery in the chest while an abdominal aortic aneurysm happens when the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the stomach becomes weakened. Furthermore, thoracic aortic aneurysm involves the ascending and descending aorta in the thoracic cavity, whereas abdominal aortic aneurysm involves the infrarenal abdominal aorta. Hence, this summarizes the difference between thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Reference:

1. “Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Abdominal aortic aneurysm.” NHS Choices, NHS.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Aortic aneurysm – A diagram of the anatomy of the human body” (Public Domain) via Picryl
2. “Cardiovascular system – Abdominal aortic aneurysm 4” By Laboratoires Servier – Helpdesk at the Content Partnerships Hub. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia