Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of descending thoracic aorta. Surgical treatment.

Abstract

Introduction Tuberculous aortitis is a rare disease, while tuberculous infection of the small blood vessels is more frequently encountered. In 1933, Gellerstedt and Safwenberg 1 reviewed 21 cases of tuberculous aortic aneurysm. Meehan 2 in 1957 found 28 cases of tuberculous aortic aneurysm and 1 of tuberculous aortitis in the literature. Stiefel, 3 in a comprehensive survey a year later, collected 47 cases of tuberculous aortitis. Of these, 37 were aneurysms. Recently Volini 17 found 99 cases of tuberculous aortitis in the literature, and 43 of these were aneurysms. Most reported tuberculous aneurysms of the aorta were postmortem findings. 4-10 A review of the literature discloses that cures affected by surgery are the exception, not the rule. Herndon 11 in 1952 resected a tuberculous aneurysm of the abdominal aorta. The patient died 13 days postoperatively. In 1955, Rob and Eastcott 12 succeeded in resecting a tuberculous aneurysm of the abdominal