Tuberculosis of the Aorta

Case of post-primary tuberculosis and massive haematemesis.

“…This belief is strengthened by the fact that glucagon acted so quickly on symptoms which had often persisted over long periods and resisted other treatment. The rapid resolution of abdominal guarding or rigidity, pyrexia, and leucocytosis-even when these were severe enough to raise the suspicion of pericolic abscess-tends to underline the importance of colospasm in the aetiology of acute diverticulitis, a theory propounded on histological grounds by Morson (1963 Tuberculous aortitis is extremely rare and the prognosis is grave, most cases progressing to aneurysm formation and rupture (Volini et al, 1962). The case reported her is unique in that the patient had post-primary cryptic disseminated tuberculosis (Proudfoot et al, 1969) passed 2 pints (1,140 ml) of fresh melaena.…”

“…Few instances of successful surgery in such cases have been recorded (see, for example, Rob and Eastcott, 1955) and chemotherapy has little effect (Volini et al, 1962). Haematemesis in a patient with tuberculosis should suggest aorto-intestinal rupture even though peptic ulceration is commoner in these cases (Citron, 1973).…”

A Rare but Potentially Lethal Case of Tuberculous Aortic Aneurysm Presenting with Repeated Attacks of Abdominal Pain

“…TB may have a wide range of clinical presentations due to its disseminative properties, with both contiguous and hematogenous routes. Aortic involvement secondary to TB is exceedingly rare and may occur in the form of arteritis or aneurysm formation (2,3). Whether by direct extension or via the blood stream, a focus of aortitis becomes established, and the aortic wall experiences destruction (2).…”

“…Aortic involvement secondary to TB is exceedingly rare and may occur in the form of arteritis or aneurysm formation (2,3). Whether by direct extension or via the blood stream, a focus of aortitis becomes established, and the aortic wall experiences destruction (2). Symptomatic tuberculous mycotic aneurysm is an extremely rare but uniformly fatal lesion if not diagnosed promptly (3,4).…”

Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysms in a Patient Treated for Miliary Tuberculosis.

“…Long et al (8) reported that 46% of41 cases with tuberculous mycotic aneurysms of the aorta were associated with disseminated tuberculosis, and suggested that hematogenous dissemination of the tubercle bacilli may be subsequent to the tuberculous inflammation of the aortic wall (9). Furthermore, other studies have reported that tuberculous aneurysmsoften occur during treatment of miliary tuberculosis (2, 10).…”