Iranian Heart Journal

Iranian Heart Journal

Calcified Thoracic Mass as a Sign of Old Blunt Aortic Trauma: An Interesting Case of Aortic Pseudoaneurysm

Document Type : Case Report

Authors
Azin Alizadehasl 1
Azam Soleimani 2
Seyed Asadollah Moosavi 3
Hamidreza Pouraliakbar 4
Mehrdad Haghazli 4
Payam Azadeh 5
Feridoun Noohi 4
1 Cardio-Oncology Department & Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
2 Cardiac Rehabilitation Research Center, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran.
3 Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
4 Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
5 Department of Radiation Oncology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Abstract
Blunt aortic trauma is a relatively rare fatal event with a high acute mortality rate of more than 80% on the scene. If the patient survives the primary injury, high clinical suspicion is necessary for diagnosis. The main mechanism of the trauma is reported to be deceleration injury or falling from a height. Herein, we describe a 37-year-old healthy male on a heavy weight lifting job for many years with a left upper mediastinum calcified mass incidentally discovered 18 years after blunt chest trauma. Transthoracic echocardiography and contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography scan revealed an aortic pseudoaneurysm just after the isthmus without descending aortic flow limitation, which was subjected to endovascular repair. High clinical suspicion is necessary for the diagnosis of aortic injury during blunt chest trauma. Atypical symptoms late after a traumatic event may be a manifestation of missed traumatic aortic rupture. Surgical repair, percutaneous intervention, or hybrid approaches are proposed for the management of this ominous scenario. (Iranian Heart Journal 2022; 23(4): 115-119)
Keywords
Aortic disease
Four-dimensional computed tomography
Echocardiography
Multiple trauma
Descending aorta
Blunt injury
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Iranian Heart Journal
Volume 23, Issue 4
Autumn 2022
Pages 115-119

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Echocardiography in the suprasternal view of the descending thoracic aorta shows 2 thick flaps in the descending thoracic aorta.