My husband, 78, has aortic aneurysm measuring 4.8. some mds insist on surgery at 5.0; others wait til 5.4. you? also, bovine vs cadaver valve: prefs?

5 is standard: To my knowledge aneurysms are intervened when they reach 5.0 cm. Though there are different factors that might affect a given clinical situation, that is the standard. I am not aware of the exact location but some of these aneurysms are treatable with synthetic material stents. I am not aware of an advantage of bovine vs cadaver valves other than that the cadaver is the same species.

Depends : If he is an endovascular candidate based on the anatomy then most surgeons use 5.0 cm as a rule for repair. If the AAA needs to be repaired open, the studies place the risk - benefit threshold at 5.5cm. However, individual patient and anatomical factors may play a role so each patient's decision needs to be individualized.