The aorta is the body’s main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The section of the aorta that starts with the aortic valve in the heart and goes to the diaphragm is called the thoracic aorta. The part of the aorta that extends from the diaphragm through the abdomen is called the abdominal aorta.

The aorta may become damaged and weakened, causing it to become wider (aneurysm) or torn (dissection), which increases your risk of having a life-threatening event. This type of damage can be caused by injury or a number of diseases and health conditions. These include:

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
Medial degeneration
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Genetic conditions (such as Marfan Syndrome)
and other connective tissue disorders

Many patients with thoracic aorta conditions will also have aortic valve involvement and will need concurrent aortic valve repair or replacement. In addition, those with disease in the abdominal aorta may have disease that extends into attached blood vessels, requiring additional vascular approaches.

The mission of the Aorta Center is to bring together a knowledgeable and experienced multidisciplinary team of cardiothoracic and vascular doctors and surgeons and other experts to provide:

A thorough evaluation of patients using state-of-the art diagnostic testing, ongoing comprehensive care for patients with disease of the aorta, connective tissue disorder and Marfan syndrome

What We Treat

The Aortic Center is made up of a multidisciplinary group of specialists in cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular medicine, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic anesthesia and cardiovascular imaging. These clinicians provide expertise in diagnostic testing, medical management and surgical and endovascular procedures, and are dedicated to provide care to patients with all types of aortic disease. These include:

Thoracic aortic aneurysm
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Marfan syndrome