Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, including details on aaa (abdominal aortic aneurism), cardiac disease, treatment, symptoms, surgery.

Type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm with lymphoplasmacytic aortitis and cystic medial degeneration in a 32-year-old patient with Marfan syndrome.

Cordera F, Bowen JM, Aubry MC, Gloviczki P

Division of General Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. cordera.fernando@mayo.edu

Aortitis identified in approximately 12% of all thoracoabdominal aneurysms. The most common subtype of inflammatory aortitis is giant cell aortitis, followed by lymphoplasmacytic aortitis. Inflammatory aortitis may occur in isolation or as part of a systemic inflammatory disorder such as Takayasu arteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and giant cell arteritis. Aortitis has not been described in patients with Marfan syndrome. We report the case of a 32-year-old man with Marfan syndrome and a strong family history of aneurysmal disease who presented with an asymptomatic Crawford type IV thoracoabdominal aneurysm. His aneurysm had no associated dissection, and surgical pathology revealed severe medial degeneration and lymphoplasmacytic aortitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a finding in a patient with Marfan syndrome.

Published 13 July 2005 in J Vasc Surg, 42(1): 168-71.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Research Today. All Rights Reserved.