Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Modified Octopus Technique for Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Published on: August 1, 2025
Swinging calcified amorphous tumour in the ascending aorta
Caleb Sokolowski1, Frank Baciewicz1
1Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
Abstract:
A 70-year-old woman with heart failure and end-stage renal disease on dialysis was found to have a 2.9 cm × 0.9 cm swinging mass attached to the posterior wall of the ascending aorta, 3 cm above the aortic valve. Due to the risk of embolization, she underwent an aortotomy and mass excision. The mass had extensive calcifications with degenerative changes and no evidence of malignancy. This represents an exceedingly rare location for a calcified amorphous tumour. Our review adds to the literature establishing the proximal aorta as a characterized location for a calcified amorphous tumour and provides a treatment approach to prevent embolization.
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