Medical therapy in patients with thoracic aortic aneurism

Abstract

Aneurysm of the thoracic aorta of any origin is traditionally considered a pathology for surgical correction. Traditionally the patients are referred for the surgery (prosthetics or endovascular treatment) when thoracic aorta diameter achieves 50–55 mm. However, the management strategy and conservative treatment in case of the smaller aorta dilations are not well elucidated in еру guidelines. The medication therapy aims at the decrease of the hemodynamic stress in the aortic wall, as well as at the correction of risk factors and accompanying diseases, including coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc. Since drug therapy of this pathology is not sufficiently developed, its choice is difficult for physicians. The paper reviews the main groups of drugs and their effectiveness in patients with thoracic aorta aneurism resulted from different causes, including atherosclerosis, genetic pathology (Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, etc.). Currently, no drugs are considered as first line therapy. The evidence suggests the use of beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers only in genetic pathology.