I was in the ER for a different issue and I was not even told about this incidental finding but it reads as follows

"Calcified atherosclerotic disease of the aneurysmal abdominal aorta"

Are they saying I have an aortic aneurysm? I already knew I had some calcification from a calcium score test

The word aneurysmal throws me

There is only one case report I could find on PubMed of the reversal of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to a normal state in an otherwise healthy patient. A 63 year old female had a 4.30 × 3.24 cm aneurysm that reduced to a normal 2 × 2.15 cm (anteroposterior and transverse diameters). See the case report on PubMed: Spontaneous regression of the abdominal aortic aneurysm in a middle age female patient; Vascular. 2020 Aug;28(4):481-484.

I may be the second case. I was diagnosed in 2019 by ultrasound with an AAA of 4.4 cm diameter, after getting an abdominal ultrasound due to unrelated abdominal muscle pain. At that time there were preliminary medical papers published about the chemicals in plant-derived polyphenols possibly treating induced AAAs in mice. Since that time there has been more research confirming those findings. There are now many peer-reviewed papers online about the chemicals in polyphenols possibly strengthening blood vessels, and other studies on treating AAA in mice and rats with the chemicals found in polyphenols, both orally and with nanoparticle delivery (there are several chemicals such as pentagalloyl glucose, epigallocatechin gallate, catechins, etc.). There are no human trials that I could find as of 2026, though I assume some may be planned based on these research findings. For the papers, enter the following in PubMed (the NIH biomedical paper search website) or just Google:

abdominal aortic aneurysm polyphenol (or polyphenols)

For example (two of over 21 medical papers I previously found on the subject):

Prevention of abdominal aortic aneurysm progression by oral administration of green tea polyphenol in a rat model. J Vasc Surg. 2017 Jun;65(6):1803-1812

Towards Precritical Medical Therapy of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Biomedicines. 2022 Nov 29;10(12):3066

(See section 4.1, Dietary Polyphenols)

"From a mechanistic point of view, diet polyphenols may potentially interfere through their antioxidant properties with many factors involved in AAA development by: reducing inflammation [17]; restoring endothelial function, [18] which is known to be altered in AAA [19]; decreasing DNA global methylation [20,21]; and protecting against telomere attrition [22,23]."

In 2020, with doctor's approval, I started taking non-prescription low-dosage polyphenol extract supplements (listed below), along with doctor-prescribed atorvastatin, losartan, and carvedilol, the latter three medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure - which is a standard treatment to slow progression of AAA. (Other similar cholesterol and blood pressure prescription meds may be preferred by doctors for various reasons.) The polyphenol extract supplements are now widely available at health food stores.

As confirmed by ultrasound tests at an accredited imaging center (and confirmed in 2026 by ultrasound at a vascular surgery office) the AAA gradually decreased from maximum diameter of 4.4 cm (2019) to 4.0 cm (2022) to 2.9 cm (2024) to 2.8 cm (2025), so it is no longer considered an aneurysm. I have discussed this extensively with my primary care doctor, a consulting cardiologist, and one of the radiologists, and there is no error. Yes, my primary care doctor and all the other medical providers are surprised by this reduction in the aneurysm, and were all interested in the medical research on polyphenols and AAA.

Other than the AAA and moderately-high previous high blood pressure, I am a fairly healthy 67 year old male of normal weight, exercise regularly, and have no history of smoking, However, I do have non-smoking blood relatives who had other types of blood vessel aneurysms successfully treated before rupture with surgery (besides smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, family history is one of the risk factors).

The polyphenol supplements I take (available at health food stores, and at some pharmacies and grocers) are listed at the bottom below. I obviously don't know if these supplements have caused the reduction in the AAA. But perhaps others with AAA under 5.5 cm (the surgical threshold) would like to discuss the polyphenol research for AAA on PubMed with their doctor and give these plant-derived polyphenol supplements a try. And also obviously continue to take your prescribed blood pressure and cholesterol meds and get regular ultrasounds per the recommended schedule based on the AAA diameter.

Since 2020 I have been taking a different brand-name polyphenol supplement from the list of seven every day (six years now) at the lower dosages available, since the liver has to process polyphenols. For safe supplement dosages just do a Google search on the name of the supplement below and "safe dosage." For example, online dosage information says to limit green tea extract dosage to 300 mg/day; or instead you can just drink green tea regularly, hot or cold (it contains the polyphenol chemical epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]).

Also check with your doctor and online for possible interactions with your prescription meds, particularly blood thinners. According to information online, most of these supplements have mild blood antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant properties, so they should probably not be taken with prescription blood thinners like warfarin and daily low-dose aspirin. For that same reason online information says they should be discontinued two weeks before any surgery, including dental surgery. Again, since I take one per day, I take the lowest dosages of these supplements that I can find at the health food stores.

Per my doctor's instructions I will be continuing annual ultrasound measurements. If the diameter decreases more (2.8 cm currently), perhaps my primary care doctor will submit a case report. At this point he is not recommending a CT scan for additional confirmation due to the radiation exposure, versus no radiation with the ultrasound scans.

Polyphenol supplements (available at health food stores, and at some pharmacies and grocers):

-pomegranate extract

-green tea extract

-turmeric extract

-quercetin extract

-grape seed extract

-resveratrol

-Pycnogenol or similar pine bark extract

Hi, one of my overseas family members suddenly passed away from some kind of internal bleeding. Unfortunately I can't learn the specific cause of death due to estrangement & language barrier.

My direct family members and I have lots of the outward signs like being very thin, long fingers/toes, flat feet, retrognathia, food allergies, skin issues, myopia, etc etc. I don't know if it's specifically LDS or maybe Marfans /another connective tissue disease, or just all flukes and I'm worrying for nothing.

mainly I'm really scared of dying suddenly from a ruptured aorta or artery or something.

I managed to secure stable income and my health insurance begins next month. I am very unfamiliar with the US health system and trying to figure things out,

I don't have a PCP yet, If I want to screen for my risk of arterial issues should I try to get a cardiologist, or gene testing first? Ideally I want to get my aorta and major arteries scanned to see if they are enlarging. Do I ask the doctor for a referral directly or do they need the details on my family member? And roughly how much USD$ do I need to save up for a scan if the insurance doesn't cover it?

Also should I do anything in the meantime to make sure I get medical attention if I go down with an aorta rupture? I have stopped most of my strenuous activities like bouldering and gym. I want to make sure at least that I can call 911 before I black out or someone's there to call for me.

I'm sorry for all the questions but it's been so difficult to research this and I would really appreciate some help thank you everyone 💜

I traveled from the US and had PEARS surgery completed by Mr. Conal Austin at London Bridge Hospital last Friday, 8/7/2026. I cannot possibly thank Mr. Austin and the hospital staff enough. Mr. Austin is a gentleman and a scholar - he thoughtfully answered all of my questions, would negotiate healthcare concerns in a meaningful way (more on this later) and genuinely cares about his patients. He reached out after the surgery for get a cup of coffee because he was in the area...he's a fantastic surgeon and great human. The other hospital staff were really all helpful and caring. And, it's a small thing, but the food was great. Due to the extremely high standard of care, I was able to walk out of the hospital a little over 72h after the surgery concluded. The PEARS graft reduced my 48mm root aneurysm to 41mm and reinforced the walls of my aorta to prevent Type A dissection. Other than the root, the rest of my aorta was normal. I also need to thank my wife, whose support was most important in the early days of this diagnosis when it was most emotionally difficult, and our families for their financial support and care of our 3 young children.

This post will be comprised of posts I made while in the hospital as well as my thoughts in the days following about pre- and post-op.

Prior to surgery: One of the hardest parts of the surgery process was figuring out how to get the process started. Thankfully the online user communities (r/aortic_aneurysm and r/marfans) are full of extremely helpful users. I don't want to e-mail drop per-se but there is ONE person responsible handling the logistics of the PEARS program: Alan Rayner. Once I was able to contact him, things started moving.

In terms of health, (1) I do not have Marfan's or a diagnosed connective tissue disorder so your mileage may vary and (2) I'm 41 m, regularly doing athletic competitions (think running, lifting, diving while wearing 40+ lb of equipment) and either lifting or doing cardio every day. Returning quickly to this level of activity was a major factor in pursuing PEARS surgery. Having done research on sternal precautions, mobility restrictions and potential complications, I adjusted my physical training regimen from traditional weightlifting to more functional core training and cardio. I believe this made recovery a bit easier.

In terms of mental health, I wanted to get out of the hospital ASAP (everyone does really) and there is a list of things you need to do before you can leave. I told myself that I was going to (1) treat every one of these milestones as a challenge and crush it + 10% and (2) try to be the most pleasant patient ever because I can only imagine how difficult it is working night shift in a stepdown unit, or how boring it is watching a patient in an ICU. Mindset is very important when committing to surgery. What worked for me, was telling myself that the first stick for the IV is the worst part of the whole thing. You're asleep for all the action, and when you wake up, you're able to control your pain through your clicker. The lines, once in, don't really hurt (even the chest tube, the PICC line which I was somewhat dreading, and urinary catheter, both of which I never really even felt) since they're just plastic and you were asleep when they put them in. I told myself that, when I woke up, I would be at the point of no return: can't go backward, only forward toward recovery and the only alternative is death. It sounds morbid, but the inevitability of discomfort allows you to accept it easier. YMMV of course, but this strategy worked for me and not once did I ever feel depressed or upset in the hospital, or fearful before a procedure, only frustrated that I couldn't sleep well. Hopefully this helps someone.

I arrived in London a week before the surgery. We flew in on Monday and arrived Tuesday in time for pre-op bloodwork, x-ray and echocardiogram. This appointment was mostly in St. Olaf's House, a historical building. London is literally thousands of years old and can trace back to the Roman empire so while the exterior may appear very dated, the equipment itself is top notch.

Day 1 (Surgery): Met with the nurse who will be caring for me. She drew some blood and told me to shave chest and groin. Filled out some forms. Showered after that, had an IV placed, and met with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. I thought I had a slight upper respiratory cold but that turned out to be a non-issue.

In speaking with Mr. Austin, he indicated that the locations of my coronary arteries says this is definitely an aortopathy so surgery is needed. He closed my sternum with Fiber Tape instead of wire. I had asked for titanium plates due to a nickel allergy. This was a happy medium as he knows people in the hospital who use it routinely, and just speaks to his care for patients and willingness to work with them to achieve healthcare outcomes.

"Just woke up in the ICU. No bypass. Feel pretty good actually. I wasn't on the vent when I woke. Chest pain maybe 4 out of 10. Mainly stinging and pain when breathing deep.

Evening, felt well enough to eat some salmon for dinner the food is good. Sternum feels like a bunch of bricks when I breathe. Otherwise no pain to speak or. I had a bradycardia episode and almost passed out not sure why. Off to try snoozing."

Snoozing didn't happen. I didn't sleep a wink in the ICU (kept snoring myself awake like kids do in class).

At this point, I had,

Left arm: IV (arm), arterial line (wrist, for drawing blood, this thing is great...no needle sticks), and my pain management line (hand) - this was hooked up to a clicker that I could engage every 5 minutes (it changes colors to let you know when it's time to party).

Neck: PICC line

Chest: Chest tube, EEG leads

Urinary catheter

One point to make: Some of the stuff I'll talk about sounds painful or unpleasant but truthfully, it wasn't at the time, just uncomfortable, and every time honestly felt better once it was over. They give you tons of lead time for any procedure they're going to do (e.g. removing chest tube) so you can hit your clicker several times beforehand.

Day 2 (Day 1 postop): "Last night I didn't really sleep at all just in and out mashing the painkiller button all night. I'm not sure if the pressure in my chest is from the chest tube or the sternotomy. The physio will be coming shortly to get me up and walking. Hopefully I can get some lines out.

Met with Mr. Austin a moment ago. He said my aorta was very thin in places so he's glad we got this done. He was able to close my sternum with fiber tape as I mentioned, since I'm allergic to nickel. Apparently the sales rep came out to demonstrate and it takes a lot of torque but he's saying it's a great closure, very strong.

I just stood up for the first time. Easier said than done with all the lines in, and required the expert help of two other guys.

Chest tube was removed a little bit ago now having some lunch. It wasn't that bad, the suture was the worst part. Just feels really weird. I can finally breathe fully. Urinary catheter came out which was an extremely unpleasant sensation.

After that it's time for a walk. Did a walk around the ICU and walked some stairs. No issues just need more lung capacity. The physio issued me a spirometer to play with every hour and I'm no longer attached to the lines. Things are looking up.

Day 2 evening. Moving from the ITU was maybe a mistake. Total agony, took a bunch of oral Tylenol and opiates and nothing. Hopefully it passes"

Day 2, early afternoon they moved me to the stepdown unit.

Back to the mindset thing here, originally the plan was to walk a few steps, but knowing stairs came next, just told the physio "it's fine take me to the stairs." Apparently early movement is really important for recovery too so proving to yourself you can do it is important.

The pain thing had to do with losing access to the on-demand IV pain med dispenser around 30 hours postop. The oral meds don't do nearly as much. That said, the pain I was feeling wasn't from laying there, it was from trying to use the wrong techniques to move around in bed. Later, someone gave me this multi-colored hand ladder thing that allowed me to pull myself around the bed and adjust, and this made a huge difference.

Day 3 (Day 2 post-op):

"Day 3 morning. Last night was hell. Eventually figured out that I need more elevation in my bag. Got maybe a couple hours sleep. Also feel like my chest tube stitch is tearing from all the up and down. It sounds trivial but that stitch prevents pneumothorax.

I probably should have waited another day in ITU

Day 3 mid day. Night and day, feeling much better. Got some more lines out, now it's about trying to do the physio routines. Anyone entering into open heart surgery should be prepared for a lot of ups and downs."

In the stepdown unit, they pulled my arterial line and pain management line (left arm, wrist and hand). They had them in there just in case. One thing I should mention - at this point I was on paracetamol and some oral opioid. I did ask if I could stop taking the oral opioid because I know what comes next (massive constipation) but they were pretty adamant about controlling pain, and piling on the laxatives as needed. This strategy was pretty effective, because I didn't end up blocked up after leaving the hospital though going in the hospital was a little sporty.

One of my primary caretakers (a big teddy bear of a man, Mohammed) came in to remove my picc line in the early afternoon. Mo, you were awesome man, thanks for putting up with my insomnia. Lacking any lines, my last day blood draw was a regular butterfly in the arm and I barely felt it, which is not what you expect when the nurse doing the draw is a big dude.

At this point, I had:
Left arm: Cannula

Day 4 (Day 3 post-op):

I was cleared for release around 10 AM, which is ~72h after surgery concluded.

My wife and I took a ride back to the hotel (to be honest I could have walked but we had a few bags and I was self-conscious about walking with my wife loaded down like a pack mule and me carrying nothing lol)

In the hotel gym, I walked 1 KM on the treadmill at 2.5 kph. I thought this was 1 mi at 2.5 mph, which felt awfully slow...realized the mistake at the end of the walk lol. In subsequent days, I changed the settings to Imperial.

Sleeping that night was pretty bad. I couldn't sleep lying flat and couldn't get comfortable. We brought this huge wedge pillow thing that kept sliding my body down toward the middle of the bed creating friction.

Day 5+

Each day gets easier and easier. Every day I'm adding to my walks in the hotel gym (1m, 1.25, 1.5...) in addition to just walkin' around miles, which gets us to around 10k steps a day. My wife left on Day 7 so I've been on my own yesterday and today, and it's fine. Yesterday (a week post-op) I ditched the wedge and was able to just use a few pillows to get comfortable. Initially my lungs were really congested (but too deep to cough it out). Yesterday (8 days post-op) I felt like I could have jogged. I want to jog today but will ask Mr. Austin Monday during clinic when I have my last bit of LBH-issued hardware removed (stitch from the chest tube).

I'm looking forward to going home. Now begins the process of trying to get insurance to pay for the surgery.

What can I do on my own: Dress myself (even t-shirts though stretchy is easier), wipe my own backside (this was never a problem post-op but people get concerned), use more or less unrestricted sternal mobility, carry a water bottle, walk for miles.

What I can't do on my own yet at ~9 days postop: Sleep flat (or well lol), lift or carry >5kg

Addendum: As of Saturday (1 week and a day after surgery), I am side-sleeping again comfortably.

My wife was in town until a week after surgery so I've been on my own the past couple days and it's been fine. To be honest, while it was helpful having her there in case I got stuck putting on a shirt, it probably wasn't necessary. She spent most of the time traveling and shopping, which is great because our room is really small! She'd been wanting to travel more so this was a rare opportunity to see London. While I'm mobile post-op I'm trying to avoid public transport which would have limited our options greatly.

Things to note for US Patients

1. Give yourself time to get the logistics in place. This is probably not an emergency surgery and things WILL come up. We had last minute things come up despite having been planned months in advance.

2. Passport. Check your passport early. I had to expedite the renewal.

3. ETA for UK Travel. This one is new and important. I didn't realize this (nobody did since it's new as of a year or so) but now you need a travel approval to come into the country even just for <6 mo. THERE ARE A TON OF SCAM SITES FOR THIS. A lot of them look legitimate. They take your personal information, do who knows what with it, and file the application for you while charging you 5-10x what it costs to do it through the actual UK app. Do not fall for these schemes. Poke around the contact info and if it redirects to anywhere but UK it's a scam.

4. The CT scan data is really important since that's how they're going to make your implant. It is not easy to find a US hospital familiar with it. There are many versions of the Exstent protocol. Pete Davies is my contact for this and we had to go back and forth a few times to get the correct scanning protocol. I ended up calling, e-mailing, and otherwise badgering the local US healthcare system into letting me talk to senior staff in the radiology department to ensure it would be done correctly, and on the day brought 3 paper copies of the protocol. This worked pretty well.

5. Book your return flight ahead of time. I made the mistake of booking a one-way ticket because I thought there would be a lot of variability in the return flight timing. What I didn't realize is that British Airways charges a hell of a lot more for one way flights than round trips (because we booked several months out, we didn't notice). If I were going to do it again I'd just book the return flight for 2 weeks after surgery. If you need to adjust, it's like $200 as opposed to THOUSANDS. Seriously...ticket here was like $700, ticket home will be over $2,000.

6. I know some people get an Air BNB, but IMO a hotel is the way to go. They'll give you clean sheets and breakfast, have snacks available, and most importantly: AIR CONDITIONING. AC is not standard in the UK, and we've had a heat wave over the past few days breaking 95 degrees. I couldn't imagine being cooped up in a 95 degree room trying to recover. The Residence Inn Marriott London Bridge is where I am staying and it's great.

That's basically it. The user community here is great. Throughout the process I was talking with other folks who had gone through the same thing. Happy to answer questions you guys have.

Edit: I doublechecked, and it is a cardiothoracic surgeon we’re seeing on Monday, not a cardiologist. My mistake.

My husband has been diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, spotted on a CT scan, confirmed by the echo. It's at 5 cm, sitting right on top of his heart. We know very little, but we have a meeting with the cardiologist Monday morning. My husband is 68, reasonably healthy in spite of being a heavy smoker, and drinking a lot of beer. That's what prompted the CT scan, was looking for lung issues as a precautionary measure. His lungs are just fine.

His older sister had an AA that ruptured, about 5 years ago now. She was incredibly lucky that there was a paramedic unit closeby, and was in surgery very quickly. Although not all went well, and there were multiple surgeries, an air lift to a better hospital, long recovery, etc. We're told her surgery was "botched" but we really have no details. She is still with us, but you can imagine how this has all increased the anxiety level.

So we want to go into the meeting and have our questions ready. What questions do you wish you would have asked? The family doctor indicated possible surgery, but could not advise beyond.

Feeling rather clueless at this point, so thank you for any advice.

Hello,
I am an 21 year old young adult, from past 2 days I am having pulsating in my stomach like above my belly button most prominent when i lie down and sitting, I don’t smoke or i am skinny i workout daily. I usually has stomach issues like acid reflux and constipation, please guide me is it a medical issue or it’s normal, I get anxious when i think about it. I also have palpitations usually after meals but no dizziness or pain Kindly reply.

Hi everyone. I still want to enjoy exercise as I have done so my entire life, but want to stay on this side of the grass as long as I can too. Since I was advised by my cardiologist to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone while exercising, I will have to update my Fitbit Charge 2 since it doesn’t give me out of zone alerts. The last thing I want is a chest strap.

I’d like one that has

1.a nice loud audible heart zone alert

2. a display bright enough so I won’t have to go find shade to read my watch

3.if they made something with a continuous display on the watch face that would be awesome. I don’t want to have to be tapping on a watch screen while Im on my bike.

I have an iPhone, but am not really looking for an Apple Watch unless people here tell me hands down it’s one of the best they ever used as far as accuracy and ease of use. Im afraid my old iPhone 11 will get phased out as a nonsupported device with a new Apple Watch and I don’t replace things until they are unrepairable, especially something as expensive as a phone.

Any suggestions? Please & thank you.

I (25M) have an aortic aneurysm caused by a bicuspid aortic valve. For the past 4 or so years I’ve been having it checked yearly through CT or echocardiogram. It had been staying at 4.3 cm ascending aorta and 3.9 cm aortic root since I started getting tests done. This year I just got my echo results back and am suddenly at 4.8 and 4.5 cm on my measurements. I’m getting a CT to confirm and meeting with a surgeon for a consultation.

My overall question is, how on earth did it change so suddenly, and has anyone experienced a similar situation? I’m not really sure how worried about this I need to be yet. Kinda freaked out. I was expecting this to not be much of an issue till I was in my late 30s at least.

Edit: I’m sure everyone is different, but how close to surgery is this situation?

Been having palpitations off an on so did a cardio workup.

Ascending aorta 4.2cm.

I’m a 49 year old male. 6’3 , 265 pounds.

I have read that I’ll need surgery eventually and it’s not an easy surgery. Also freaked out my chest is just gonna pop.

Interpretation Summary
Ascending aorta measures 4.2cm
Left ventricular size, thickness and function are normal
LV ejection Fraction = 60-65%.
Global longitudinal strain is calculated at -16.0% which is mildly abnormal.
Tissue doppler sampling consistent with 'Normal diastolic function.'
Right atrium is mildly dilated.
Right ventricle is mildly dilated.
Right ventricular systolic function is normal.
No tricuspid regurgitation was present, hence, RV/PA systolic pressure can not be estimated.

I had a dilated aortic root discovered last year during a lung scan. Follow up Echo it was 4.3 cm. Flash forward a year, it is now at 4.8 cm. I have a follow up with my cardiologist on the 18th to discuss and of course after googling, I'm fairly freaked out. I know I'm below the recommended size for surgery, but the growth rate is really concerning.

Anyone with a similar experience and what was your result?

Has anyone had an aortic aneurysm that pushed on their Phrenic Nerve, causing
• Trouble breathing when lying flat
• Shortness of breath during small tasks or exercise
• Feeling very tired all the time
• Trouble sleeping or waking up gasping
Any things to help you during this ?