[Amyloidosis of a coral reef infrarenal aorta]

This case concerns a 37-year-old woman with a cruro-gluteal claudication, from which she had been suffering since the age of 33, and which prevented her from walking more than 50 metres. The arteriographic examination revealed preocclusive coralliform proliferations of the infrarenal aorta, with a 30% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery. After 18 months, a straight aorto-aortic tube yielded excellent results. The results of the pathological examination led to the conclusion that this was a secondary aortic amyloidosis with no specific lesions of the aortic wall. This coral reef aorta is distinguished by its infrarenal location (fourth case worldwide), as well as by the major amylotic infiltrations of the endoaortic proliferations and of the aortic wall. In the absence of generalized amyloidosis, we suspect massive localized amyloidosis subsequent to an old inflammatory aortic process compatible with a juvenile atheroma opened in the aortic lumen or more probably a sequel of Takayasu's disease.