IMR Press / RCM / Volume 9 / Issue 3 / pii/1560999983358-824036107

Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine (RCM) is published by IMR Press from Volume 19 Issue 1 (2018). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with MedReviews, LLC.

Open Access Case Review
Inflammatory Aneurysm of the Thoracoabdominal Aorta With Associated Dissection
Show Less
1 Department of Medicine, Columbia University, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, NY
2020 Division of Cardiology, Columbia University, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, NY
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2008, 9(3), 204–209;
Published: 30 September 2008
Abstract
The inflammatory variant of aortic aneurysms has 3 unique features: marked thickening of the aneurysm wall, fibrosis of the adjacent retroperitoneum, and rigid adherence of the adjacent structures to the anterior aneurysm wall. Abdominal tenderness with or without a pulsatile abdominal mass is the most common finding, although it is present in only about 33% of patients. Systemic symptoms, such as fever, malaise, and weight loss, are reported in about 20% to 50% of patients. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging, and a transesophageal echocardiogram are among the best modalities to evaluate for inflammatory thoracoabdominal aneurysm, but a transthoracic echocardiogram can frequently be very suggestive. Medical treatment options include corticosteroids or other anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapies. Surgical intervention usually consists of a transperitoneal approach with infrarenal aortic clamping. This case review describes a 64-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and dyslipidemia who presented with anemia, lower back pain, and a recent 30-pound weight loss.
Keywords
Inflammatory thoracic aneurysm
Aortic dissection
Abdominal aneurysm
Computed tomography
Transthoracic echocardiography
Share
Back to top