Labor and vaginal delivery with maternal aortic aneurysm

BACKGROUND: Maternal aortic aneurysm can be an unsettling finding for the p racticing obstetrician. However, thoracic surgeons generally do not treat a symptomatic aortic aneurysms that are less than 6 cm in diameter in otherwi se healthy adults. CASE: A young nullipara, was incidentally found to have a 4.5-cm thoracic a ortic aneurysm during prenatal care. After extensive counseling and discuss ions with thoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and perinatologists, the pa tient requested a trial of labor and underwent an uncomplicated assisted va ginal delivery of a healthy female infant. CONCLUSION: A vaginal delivery occurred safely in a woman with an asymptoma tic aortic aneurysm that was less than 6 cm in diameter and not associated with Marfan's syndrome. (Obstet Gynecol 2001;98:935-8. (C) 2001 by the Amer ican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.).