CTICasesEnlarging Pseudoaneurysm of a Calcified Aortic False Lumen
Imaging findings
A patient with Marfan syndrome and prior aortic root and valve replacement for a type A dissection has a densely and diffusely calcified false lumen of the descending aorta with persistent flow. Serial radiographs and CT from 2018 onward show a subtle disruption in the calcification that progressively enlarged into a growing pseudoaneurysm with increasing surrounding soft tissue, over only about two years.
Key takeaways
A chronically dissected aortic false lumen can calcify densely while continuing to flow, and a focal disruption in that calcification represents a contained rupture (pseudoaneurysm) that can be tracked on plain radiographs as well as CT. Such a densely calcified false-lumen pseudoaneurysm is difficult to treat endovascularly, since stenting the true lumen would not decompress the rigid calcified tube, making it a challenging surgical problem.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Fleischner Sign of Acute Pulmonary EmbolismVascular
- Pulmonary Artery Sling with Tracheal AnomaliesCongenital
- Mycobacterium xenopi Cavitary Lung DiseaseInfection
- Local Tumor Recurrence within a Radiation FieldNeoplastic
- Phrenic Nerve Injury with Hemidiaphragm Paralysis after Atrial Fibrillation AblationIatrogenic
- Aortic Injury with Organized Mediastinal Hematoma after Atrial Fibrillation AblationIatrogenic
- Dendriform Pulmonary OssificationMetabolic
- Metastatic ParagangliomaNeoplastic
See all cases from December 10, 2020 →
Related Vascular cases
- Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease / Pulmonary Capillary Hemangiomatosis
- Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
- Massive In-Situ Pulmonary Artery Thrombus in Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension
- Pulmonary Artery Thrombus with Shaggy Margin Mimicking Sarcoma
- Ulcerated Aortic Plaque Mimicking Dissection
- Acute Pulmonary Embolism with Infarct on Non-Contrast CT