title: Ask the doctor. My wife died recently from a dissection of the ascending aorta. Since then I've learned that the size of this vessel can be measured and watched until it reaches five or six centimeters, when an operation can be performed. Doctors often check the descending aorta. Why don't they routinely look at the ascending part of the artery?
mesh_terms: D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014463:Ultrasonography