Thoracic Aorta Clinic

The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It carries blood from the heart to all the organs of the body. The thoracic aorta begins at the aortic valve and runs to the diaphragm.

For a variety of reasons, the aorta may become weak. This can result in it enlarging, a condition known as an aortic aneurysm.  Aneurysms undetected or not closely followed can lead life-threatening complications such as a tear in the aorta (aortic dissection) or rupture. Damage to the aorta can be the result of several medical conditions, such as:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Medial degeneration
• Plaque buildup (atherosclerosis)
• Genetic conditions / connective tissue disorders
  • Marfan Syndrome
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
  • Loeys-Dietz Syndrome
  • Turner Syndrome
  • Bicuspid aortic valve disease
• Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Thoracic aortic disease may also affect the aortic valve, the one-way valve between the heart and the aorta. The aortic valve may therefore need repair or replacement at the time of thoracic aortic surgery.

The goal of the St. Michael’s Hospital Thoracic Aorta Clinic is to provide comprehensive care to patients with thoracic aortic disease via a multidisciplinary team including members from cardiology, vascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and genetic counselling.

What We Treat

We are a multidisciplinary team from cardiology, vascular medicine, imaging, surgery, and genetic counselling. We provide expertise in diagnostic testing, genetic testing, medical management, and surgical procedures. We provide care for the following conditions:

• Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
• Aortic valve / root disease
• Aortic Dissection

Our surgeons are experienced in techniques to manage the full spectrum of aortic disease:

• Aortic root surgery
  • Valve sparing aortic root replacement
  • Aortic valve repair
  • Aortic root replacement with artificial valve
• Surgery on the ascending aorta
• Surgery on the aortic arch
• Endovascular surgery of the descending thoracic aorta
• Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery

Our team

Cardiac Surgery:

• Daniel Burns (Surgical Lead)
• Subodh Verma

Cardiology

• Kim Connelly (Interim Medical Lead)
• Robert Chisholm

Vascular Surgery

• Mark Wheatcroft
• David Szalay
• Elisa Greco
• Charles de Mestral
• Graham McClure

Genetic Counselling

• Samantha Afonso