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Severe Obstructive Calcification of the Descending Aorta: A Case Report of "Coral Reef Aorta"
Takahiro Ishigaki1, Hitoshi Matsuda2, Soichiro Henmi1
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hyogo Brain and Heart Center, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.
Insights
Severe aortic calcification caused critical blockages in an 82-year-old man, leading to shock and death despite emergency surgery. Autopsy revealed extensive intimal thickening and calcium deposits in the descending aorta.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Vascular Surgery
- Pathology
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.
- Aortic calcification can lead to severe vascular complications.
- Severe aortic calcification can cause critical organ ischemia.
Abstract:
An 82-year-old man suffering from lower back pain and dyspnea presented to our institute in a state of shock. Computed tomography showed subtotal occlusion of the descending aorta with massive atherosclerotic calcification. As the proximal portion of the superior mesenteric artery was obstructed, emergency bypass from the right axillary artery to the bilateral external iliac arteries was performed, but the patient died 2 days later. Autopsy revealed that reddish-brown and verrucous masses obstructed the descending aorta, and high-grade thickening of the intima and extensive deposits of calcium in the lumina and medial layer were detected in the descending aorta histologically.