IMR Press / RCM / Volume 23 / Issue 8 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2308271
Open Access Original Research
CT Imaging Manifestations of Tuberculous Aortic Aneurysm
Show Less
1 Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Luohu People’s Hospital, 518000 Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
2 Discipline of Medical Radiation Science, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
3 Department of Radiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100029 Beijing, China
4 Department of Respiration, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 300380 Tianjin, China
5 Department of Radiology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 518107 Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
*Correspondence: z.sun@curtin.edu.au (Zhonghua Sun); liyu275@mail.sysu.edu.cn (Yu Li)
Academic Editors: Dinesh Kalra and Grigorios Korosoglou
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2022, 23(8), 271; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2308271
Submitted: 21 February 2022 | Revised: 24 May 2022 | Accepted: 7 June 2022 | Published: 26 July 2022
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Tuberculous aortic aneurysm (TBAA) is a rare complication of TB and is associated with high mortality. Early diagnosis is critical; however, it is challenging due to nonspecific symptoms. This study summarized the computed tomography (CT) features of TBAA with the aim of assisting with timely clinical diagnosis. Methods: Seventeen patients with TBAA between 2015 and 2020 were included in this study. The clinical manifestations, past medical history, laboratory and imaging examinations, treatments, and other data were collected and analyzed. CT angiography was performed in all patients. Results: All tuberculous aneurysms were pseudoaneurysms, which were located in the thoracic aorta (8/17, 47%), abdominal aorta (7/17, 41%), junction of the thoracic and abdominal aorta (1/17, 6%) or abdominal aorta and iliac artery (1/17, 6%) region. The shapes of all aneurysms were saccular, and nine of them were lobulated. The aneurysm diameter ranged from 3 to 12 cm. Of the 17 patients, 12 (71%) had calcification; 14 (82%) had intraluminal thrombus; 12 (71%) showed enlarged lymph nodes, which were closely related to the aneurysm; and 9 (53%) had tuberculous spondylitis including TB of the thoracic lumbar and lumbosacral spine. Psoas abscess was detected in 4 (23%) patients and iliopsoas abscess was detected in 1 (6%) patient. Conclusions: TBAA typically shows mycotic shapes on CT scans. Another feature is that the surrounding tissues and adjacent organs of tubercular aneurysms are usually infected with TB, and most of them are accompanied by other sites of TB.

Keywords
tuberculosis
tuberculous aortic aneurysm
computed tomography
imaging
diagnosis
Figures
Fig. 1.
Share
Back to top