Abstract

OCAMPO-SALGADO, Carolina; DUQUE-RAMIREZ, Mauricio; NARANJO-RESTREPO, Sebastián  and  SERNA-POSADA, María del Mar. Ischaemic myelitis as a presentation of a shaggy aorta in a patient with concomitant acute aortic syndrome. Rev. Colomb. Cardiol. [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.5, pp.286-291. ISSN 0120-5633.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rccar.2018.11.001.

A shaggy aorta is defined as an aggressive and extensive atheromatous degeneration of the aorta. Its friability predisposes to ulceration and embolic complications. It carries a high risk of systemic embolisms, and its prevalence and incidence in risk populations is unknown. The majority of published cases mention complications in surgical procedures. No reports have been found in the literature that associate aortic atheroembolism with obstruction of the artery of Adamkiewicz. Its diagnosis is not always possible by visualising its occlusion by computed tomography angiography or by magnetic resonance angiography, since the defects may be evanescent, or there may be a distal compromise with a microvascular obstruction, hardly apparent with selected angiography.

A case is presented of embolic ischaemic myelitis associated with a shaggy aorta, with probable occlusion of the artery of Adamkiewicz being responsible form the acute neurological deterioration of the patient, confirmed by a nuclear magnetic resonance scan.

In order to better describe the features of this disease and to have the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for its timely approach, it is considered important to report all similar cases, thus increasing its diagnostic suspicion.

Keywords : Shaggy aorta; Atherosclerosis; Embolisms; Visceral embolisms; Myelitis.

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