aortic unfolding and calcification
The aorta is the main artery of the body and has diameter of about
2cm.
With ageing the bend in the aorta as it curls around from the
top
of the heart to run down the back of the chest becomes a less
sharp
bend. The aorta does not fold over on itself as much as it did
before.
The process of aorta calcification is started by an irritation of
the outer cell-layer of the innermost tissue of the artery the
endothelium. Once this irritation is detected, various mechanisms
of the immune system take over. White blood cells (monocytes) rush
to the injured tissue and infiltrate the wall of the artery, the
blood cells undergo a metamorphic process while they infiltrate and
become now macrophages. This leads to the appearance of
macrophage-derived foam cells, which are laden with lipids, i.e.,
fatty elements.
When the white blood cells keep on rushing to the irritated tissue,
the lipid-core that has accumulated underneath the endothelium,
increases in size and causes eventually the swelling to rupture.
This rupturing in turn triggers another process of the defensive
mechanisms platelet aggregation. Platelets play a major role in
wound healing, since they possess the ability to glue themselves to
wounded tissue and to each other, thereby forming a platelet plug.
This form for plug is formed shortly after the just mentioned
rupturing, closing the wound. The negative kickback of this process
is that parts of this plug can break away from the artery wall and
cause smaller blood vessels to be blocked.
Aorta calcification should be taken seriously, it might lead to
heart attack.
mild scoliosis
When you see the spine from behind, it should be straigt. If it's
curved, this is called scoliosis - lateral or sideways curve in the
spine. The severity of scoliosis is measured in degrees. Mild
scoliosis is less then 20 degrees, many people have it, I think
around 50% of the population.
pleural thickening and associated blunting of the costophrenic
angle
The pleural angle is the curving in the place where the ribs and
pleura meet or touch each other. Pleural thickening is scarring
(replacement and disruption of the normal cellular pattern by
fibrous tissue) in the pleura usually after a variety of
inflammatory processes involving the pleura. This involves the
pleural membrane which covers the lungs. Usually affecting both
lungs although not necessarily to the same extent. This thickening
leads to constriction of the lung with consequent loss of lung
volume and increasing breathlessness. Due to the more mass of the
tissue, the costophrenic angle gets blunted.
