Clemson Student Death Due to Aortic Dissection, Sister Has Brain Surgery

[Arlyss]

http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=53038

I was so terribly saddened by what has happened to this family.

I do not know what kind of disorder is affecting the blood vessels in this family.

I do know that those with BAV are at greater risk of brain aneurysm as well as thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection.

I can only hope that the remaining members of this family will be screened for problems in both their chest and their brain.

And I hope that those with BAVD will monitor their blood vessels in the most vulnerable areas for aneurysms - the aorta and the brain.

Arlyss

 

[Ross]

http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=53038

I was so terribly saddened by what has happened to this family.

I do not know what kind of disorder is affecting the blood vessels in this family.

I do know that those with BAV are at greater risk of brain aneurysm as well as thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection.

I can only hope that the remaining members of this family will be screened for problems in both their chest and their brain.

And I hope that those with BAVD will monitor their blood vessels in the most vulnerable areas for aneurysms - the aorta and the brain.

Arlyss

Without this family being educated to the facts, I doubt that they will.

 

[Superbob]

That's a very sad story from down in Clemson.

It obviously points to the need for careful screening. But some conditions are very hard to pick up without sophisticated technology that medical people (and insurers) are unlikely to use routinely, without probable cause (to use a legal term). For instance, in 1996, my wife had a stroke. Only months later, after a great neurosurgeon in Richmond decided on his own to do an enhanced MRI did they discover it had been caused by a brain aneurysm. He operated then to cap the aneurysm.

 

[Arlyss]

Familial TAAD

Familial TAAD

The news reports do not provide details of Megan's surgery, but I am concerned that there has been bleeding in the brain if an aneurysm ruptured or leaked. Here is a more recent link.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6996822

When a family does not fall into one of the connective tissue disorder "syndromes" defined in medicine today, there is a term that is used called "Familial TAAD". TAAD stands for thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. So the term just means that it is inherited in families and affects the thoracic aorta - it may affect the blood vessels in the brain also, just as BAV can. It is possible to include BAV and other connective tissue disorders under this general category, which includes families where the heart valves appear to be normal as well as those with obvious heart valve problems.

It is so important that these families all have the vessels of their head and chest monitored - not just a one time check up, but life long monitoring.

I hope more physicians will check the brain as well as the chest when an aneurysm or dissection occurs. And I hope more families will become informed about familial TAAD and request these tests.

Rob's example of his wife's experience is an important one. By finding the root cause in her brain and dealing with it, another stroke at some unknown time in the future was avoided.

As we learn more, may we all do everything possible to keep our families safe.

Arlyss

 

[Arlyss]

The Medical Literature

The Medical Literature

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/e...ez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

There are other papers that have been published, but I selected this one because of the following statement in the abstract:

"Aneurysms in relatives may be seen in the thoracic aorta, the abdominal aorta, or the cerebral circulation. Screening of first-order relatives of probands with TAA is essential."

If anyone needs justification to get checked, this paper would be one good reference that can be sited.

Arlyss