Role of chemical elements in formation of an aortic aneurysm

The method of X-ray fluorescence employing synchronous radiation was used to study the content of chemical elements (CE) in the aortic wall in patients suffering from CAD (Group I), patients diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm (Group II), and those presenting with aortic dissection (Group III). The obtained findings revealed a pronounced CE disbalance in the aortic wall in Group II and III patients as compared with Group I patients, suggesting an important role of trace and macroelements in metabolic processes related to formation of artic aneurysms. Based on the degree of the ascending aorta dilatation, we determined the coefficient of the ratio of the ascending aorta maximal diameter to the fibrous ring aortic valve diameter, equalling 1.88 +/- 0.04, above which metabolic processes in the aortic wall change over to a qualitatively another level. This point was arbitrarily termed the metabolic process reversibility point.