General Aortopathy
The aorta, the body’s main artery, supplies oxygenated blood to the whole body. The aorta runs from the chest down through the stomach, where it splits off into smaller blood vessels. Aortopathy is any disease that affects the aorta. Conditions such as thoracic aortic enlargement and acute aortic dissection can be life-threatening.
Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue — the fibers that support and anchor your organs and other structures in your body. Marfan syndrome most commonly affects the heart, eyes, blood vessels and skeleton. The damage caused by Marfan syndrome can be mild or severe. If your aorta — the large blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body — is affected, the condition can become life-threatening.
LD Syndrome
Loeys-Dietz syndrome is characterized by enlargement of the aorta, which is the large blood vessel that distributes blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The aorta can weaken and stretch, causing a bulge in the blood vessel wall. Stretching of the aorta may also lead to a sudden tearing of the layers in the aorta wall. People with Loeys-Dietz syndrome can also have aneurysms or dissections in arteries throughout the body and have arteries with abnormal twists and turns.
Familial aortic anuerysm
Familial thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (familial TAAD) involves problems with the aorta, which is the large blood vessel that distributes blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Familial TAAD affects the upper part of the aorta, near the heart. This part of the aorta is called the thoracic aorta because of the location in the chest. Other vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body (arteries) can also be affected.
