A unique autopsy case of ascending aortic dissection caused by giant cell arteritis without drug therapy

Giant cell arteritis is a granulomatous inflammation of large and medium-sized arteries, occurring predominantly in older women. In this case, a 76-year-old woman was hospitalized for examination because of a high C-reactive protein (CRP) level, but nothing remarkable was found on thoracicoabdominal computed tomography (CT) or head magnetic resonanse imaging (MRI). On the 46th day from the first visit, she died suddenly due to cardiac tamponade. On pathological autopsy, we found the cause of death to be acute aortic dissection (Stanford type A) due to giant cell arteritis occurred in the ascending aorta. Histologically, granulomatous vasculitis with giant cells was recognized in the ascending aorta, thoracic descending aorta and abdominal aorta and their branches. Interestingly, similar granulomatous vasculitis was also found in the medium and small vessels of other plural organs, including the heart, liver, uterine corpus, and its appendages. To our knowledge, giant cell arteritis with multiple-organ granulomatous changes has not been reported before. We herein reported a unique autopsy case of giant cell arteritis in a patient not treated with medication.