Intramural haematoma of the thoracic aorta: A case series

We reported four cases of intramural haematoma of the descending thoracic aorta. Four patients, aged 55–82 years, hypertensive, were transferred from the emergency room of other hospitals due to the appearance of epigastric pain and left thorax pain. All patients underwent computed tomography angiography reporting the presence of intramural haematoma. Three patients underwent a drug therapy to maintain a controlled hypotension. A computed tomography revaluation was performed documenting (1) an increase in the thickness of the intramural haematoma, (2) the appearance of a penetrating ulcer within the haematoma and (3) the appearance of several penetrating lesions throughout the thoracic aorta. Patients required the placement of one or two thoracic aorta endoprosthesis. For the fourth patient, the hyperdense appearance of the intramural haematoma and the presence of pleural effusion suggested an urgent treatment intervention. All patients underwent a placement of cerebrospinal fluid catheter and drainage before treatment. All patients were treated with endovascular intervention with 100% technical success and absence of migration or retrograde type A dissection. There were no complications related to femoral surgical access or access routes. Perioperative mortality was null; no patient had paraplegia. No strokes, transient ischemic attack or perioperative myocardial infarction were observed. The average hospitalization was 5 days. After 3 months, angio-computed tomography reported for all patients a complete reabsorption of the intramural haematoma and a complete exclusion of the penetrating ulcer of the aortic wall present at the time of the intervention. There have been no cases of distant thoracic aortic tears. Endovascular treatment must be considered the preeminent treatment for thoracic aortic haematoma. Best timing to perform the endovascular procedure depends on the patient clinical picture and on stability of hemodynamic parameters.

Sequential ruptures of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers of ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta

Background Penetrating ulcers of aorta, aortic dissections and intramural hematomas all come under acute aortic syndromes and have important similarities and differences. Case report We report a 67 year old man with rupture of a large penetrating ulcer of the distal ascending aorta with hemopericardium and left hemothorax. He underwent interposition graft replacement of ascending aorta and hemi-arch with a 30 mm Gelweave Vascutek graft but represented 6 months later with development of a penetrating ulcer which ruptured into a huge 14 cm pseudoaneurysm. This was repaired with a 28 mm Vascutek Gelseal graft replacement of arch and interposition graft reconstruction of innominate and left common carotid arteries. 6 weeks later, however, he ruptured his proximal descending aorta and underwent TEVAR satisfactorily. Unfortunately, 2 days later, he developed a pathological fracture of left proximal tibia with metastasis from a primary renal cell carcinoma. He died 3 weeks later from respiratory failure. We shall briefly outline the similarities and differences in presentation and management of penetrating aortic ulcers, aortic dissections and intramural haematomas. We shall discuss, in greater detail, penetrating ulcers of thoracic aorta, their natural history, location, complications and management. Conclusion This case report is unique on account of initial successful surgical redressal following rupture of penetrating ulcer of distal ascending aorta into left pleural and pericardial cavities, normally associated with instant death. The haemodynamic effects of the rupture were staggered due to initial contained rupture into a smaller pseudoaneurysm, followed by a further rupture into a false aneurysmal sac followed eventually by generalised rupture into the pleural and pericardial cavities - a unique way of aortic rupture. Further development of another penetrating ulcer and a small pseudoaneurysm in the distal arch 6 months later which further ruptured into a larger 14 cm false aneurysmal sac, which again did not result in exsanguination, is again extraordinarily rare. Thereafter he underwent emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for a further rupture of descending thoracic aorta. All three ruptures were managed successfully and would usually be associated with near-certain death, only for the patient to succumb eventually to the complications of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Sequential ruptures of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers of ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta

BackgroundPenetrating ulcers of aorta, aortic dissections and intramural hematomas all come under acute aortic syndromes and have important similarities and differences. Case ReportWe report a 67 year old man with rupture of a large penetrating ulcer of the distal ascending aorta with hemopericardium and left hemothorax. He underwent interposition graft replacement of ascending aorta and hemi-arch with a 30 mm Gelweave Vascutek graft but represented 6 months later with development of a penetrating ulcer which ruptured into a huge 14 cm pseudoaneurysm. This was repaired with a 28 mm Vascutek Gelseal graft replacement of arch and interposition graft reconstruction of innominate and left common carotid arteries. 6 weeks later, however, he ruptured his proximal descending aorta and underwent TEVAR satisfactorily. Unfortunately, 2 days later, he developed a pathological fracture of left proximal tibia with metastasis from a primary renal cell carcinoma. He died 3 weeks later from respiratory failure.We shall briefly outline the similarities and differences in presentation and management of penetrating aortic ulcers, aortic dissections and intramural haematomas. We shall discuss, in greater detail, penetrating ulcers of thoracic aorta, their natural history, location, complications and management.ConclusionThis case report is unique on account of initial successful surgical redressal following rupture of penetrating ulcer of distal ascending aorta into left pleural and pericardial cavities, normally associated with instant death. The haemodynamic effects of the rupture were staggered due to initial contained rupture into a smaller pseudoaneurysm, followed by a further rupture into a false aneurysmal sac followed eventually by generalised rupture into the pleural and pericardial cavities - a unique way of aortic rupture. Further development of another penetrating ulcer and a small pseudoaneurysm in the distal arch 6 months later which further ruptured into a larger 14 cm false aneurysmal sac, which again did not result in exsanguination, is again extraordinarily rare. Thereafter he underwent emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for a further rupture of descending thoracic aorta. All three ruptures were managed successfully and would usually be associated with near-certain death, only for the patient to succumb eventually to the complications of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Sequential ruptures of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers of ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta

BackgroundPenetrating ulcers of aorta, aortic dissections and intramural hematomas all come under acute aortic syndromes and have important similarities and differences.Case ReportWe report a 67 year old man with rupture of a large penetrating ulcer of the distal ascending aorta with hemopericardium and left hemothorax. He underwent interposition graft replacement of ascending aorta and hemi-arch with a 30 mm Gelweave Vascutek graft but represented 6 months later with development of a penetrating ulcer which ruptured into a huge 14 cm pseudoaneurysm. This was repaired with a 28 mm Vascutek Gelseal graft replacement of arch and interposition graft reconstruction of innominate and left common carotid arteries. 6 weeks later, however, he ruptured his proximal descending aorta and underwent TEVAR satisfactorily. Unfortunately, 2 days later, he developed a pathological fracture of left proximal tibia with metastasis from a primary renal cell carcinoma. He died 3 weeks later from respiratory failure.We shall briefly outline the similarities and differences in presentation and management of penetrating aortic ulcers, aortic dissections and intramural haematomas. We shall discuss, in greater detail, penetrating ulcers of thoracic aorta, their natural history, location, complications and management.ConclusionThis case report is unique on account of initial successful surgical redressal following rupture of penetrating ulcer of distal ascending aorta into left pleural and pericardial cavities, normally associated with instant death. The haemodynamic effects of the rupture were staggered due to initial contained rupture into a smaller pseudoaneurysm, followed by a further rupture into a false aneurysmal sac followed eventually by generalised rupture into the pleural and pericardial cavities - a unique way of aortic rupture. Further development of another penetrating ulcer and a small pseudoaneurysm in the distal arch 6 months later which further ruptured into a larger 14 cm false aneurysmal sac, which again did not result in exsanguination, is again extraordinarily rare. Thereafter he underwent emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for a further rupture of descending thoracic aorta. All three ruptures were managed successfully and would usually be associated with near-certain death, only for the patient to succumb eventually to the complications of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the ascending aorta

To date, the incidence of penetrating aortic ulcers is from 2 to 7 % of all cases of acute aortic syndrome, localization of this pathology in the ascending aorta are casuistic. We present the case of an intraoperative finding of a penetrating ulcer of the ascending aorta. The patient underwent separate prosthetics of the ascending aorta with the vascular prosthesis Uni-Graft No. 28 and the aortic valve prosthesis with the mechanical prosthesis Medtronic No. 23. The patient was discharged on the 8th day in a satisfactory condition. Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer is a potentially life-threatening condition, the detection of which requires aggressive tactics of surgical treatment.

Diagnosis of perforation from the penetrating ulcer of the posterior wall of the duodenum

The article is devoted to the problem of emergency surgery for abdominal organs – perforated ulcer of the posterior duodenal wall (duodenum). 140 patients with perforated duodenal ulcer were treated at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine between 2016 and 2019. Eight patients had perforation from the penetrating ulcer of the posterior duodenal wall. The average age of patients with perforation from the penetrating ulcers in the posterior duodenal wall was 62.25 years (27 to 78 years). Most of the cases were found in men – 87.5%. 7 patients had surgery at the Institute, one was transferred from another medical institution where he underwent surgery. Four patients were discharged with a favorable outcome, and four died. Two of the deceased patients had perforation associated with penetrating duodenal ulcer that was diagnosed during laparotomy; in two other cases, perforation associated with the penetrating ulcer was detected only during autopsy. A feature of perforated gastroduodenal ulcers when they are localized on the posterior wall of the duodenum is poor clinical manifestation, which is associated with the entry of duodenal contents into a limited retroperitoneal space, leading to a significant inflammatory process of retroperitoneal tissue. Complex use of X-ray examination, oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, and CT allows to correctly assess and timely diagnose perforation associated with the penetrating ulcer of the posterior wall of the duodenum into the retroperitoneal space.

Acute aortic syndromes

The acute aortic syndromes are acute dissection, intramural haematoma, and penetrating ulcer, and all involve disruption of the wall of the aorta with potentially devastating consequences. Although relatively uncommon, left unrecognized and untreated they can carry a mortality rate of up to 2% per hour and 50% within the first few weeks. Physical signs typically reflect the region of the aorta involved and effects of pressure on adjacent structures: evidence of new aortic regurgitation or development of pulse deficits should be actively sought. Abnormalities on the chest radiograph and ECG are common, but neither investigation is diagnostic and further imaging is always necessary by MRI, contrast-enhanced CT, or transoesophageal echocardiography, depending on local availability and the clinical condition of the patient. In the long term, strenuous efforts to control blood pressure are indicated for all patients who have survived aortic dissection, with repeat imaging at least once a year.