Abstract:

Thoracic aortic aneurysm is a major health problem with multiple etiologies and potentially devastating consequences. Acute aortic dissection should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with sudden onset of chest or back pain, syncope, stroke, or acute heart failure. However, these symptoms are not typical of chronic aneurysm without dissection. Furthermore as a rare complication large aneurysms may cause symptoms via mass effect. Herein we report a case of a giant thoracic aortic aneurysm causing severe pulmonary hypertension due to compression of the pulmonary arteries. The it pulmonary hypertension via the mass affect of an aneurysm is considered to be rare, but should also be kept in mind, especially in the absence of an observable reason for pulmonary hypertension and when the size of the aneurysm is extremely large.

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