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Case Reports
. 2022 Jan 11:18:1-4.
doi: 10.2147/VHRM.S346041. eCollection 2022.

Huge Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Presenting with Jaundice: A Case Report

Othman Nasser Al Mulhim  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Huge Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Presenting with Jaundice: A Case Report

Othman Nasser Al Mulhim. Vasc Health Risk Manag. .

Abstract

Introduction: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) are encountered frequently in the emergency department with an obscure presentation. Most of these aneurysms are incidentally discovered while doing routine imaging studies. This report describes a case of unusual presentation of TAAs.

Case presentation: A 37-year-old male presented to the emergency department with jaundice, shortness of breath, abdominal swelling, and lower limb edema, which worsened during the previous month. The patient was worked up and diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm measuring 6.9 cm associated with severe aortic insufficiency and heart failure.

Conclusion: TAA is a life-threatening condition with indistinct signs and symptoms. A high index of suspicion and early implementation of radiological studies are prerequisites to reach a diagnosis.

Keywords: ascending aortic aneurysm; clinical presentation; jaundice; thoracic aortic aneurysm; transthoracic echocardiography.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chest X-ray showing enlarged cardiac silhouette with cardiothoracic ratio of 70%, and mild pulmonary congestion.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transthoracic echocardiography; (A) parasternal long axis view showing an ascending aortic aneurysm (#) and (B) subcostal view showing dilated inferior vena cava (**) and congested liver (***).
Figure 3
Figure 3
CT chest axial view showing a huge ascending aortic aneurysm (*).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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