A previously healthy 47-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a sudden attack of severe chest pain during a car ride. It was persistent, unrelated to breathing, and accompanied by epigastric and back pain. On physical examination, he was conscious, with a blood pressure of 125/91 mmHg, a pulse rate of 75 beats/min, and afebrile. He presented no tenderness on palpation of his chest, back, and epigastrium. The ECG showed sinus rhythm with early repolarization (Figure 1). The results of the laboratory tests were normal, including serum troponin levels. Point-of-care ultrasound was performed (Figure 2, A and Video E1), and the diagnosis was confirmed by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (Figure 2, B, and Figure 3).Figure 2A, Point-of-care ultrasound of echocardiogram in parasternal long axis view demonstrated well-defined heterogeneous mass in the posterior mediastinum (asterisk), surrounding the descending aorta (arrowhead), and compressed the LA. B, The findings as seen on computed tomography angiography. Ao, aortic root; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)Figure 3A reconstructed maximum intensity projection image of computed tomography angiography showed extravasation and pseudoaneurysm of left 10th intercostal artery (arrow).View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT) Spontaneous rupture of an intercostal artery. The patient received modified thoracic endovascular aortic repair and was hospitalized in the vascular surgery department. He was asymptomatic at discharge 4 days later and at the 2-week follow-up. Intercostal artery rupture is a rare disease, which can be associated with neurofibromatosis type 1, aorta coarctation, or trauma. The rupture of the intercostal artery could cause hemothorax, retroperitoneal hemorrhage, hemorrhagic shock, or respiratory failure. The diagnosis is based mainly on the computed tomography study. Early diagnosis is critical and challenging. In our case, the point-of-care ultrasound evaluation unveiled posterior mediastinum hematoma and eventually led to the final diagnosis. The management of an intercostal artery rupture in an individual ranges from careful observation to interventions, including transcatheter arterial embolization or surgery.1Izumoto S. Abe T. Koroki T. et al.A 48-year-old man presenting as an emergency with severe back pain, a large anterior paravertebral hematoma, and spontaneous rupture of the right 9th intercostal artery successfully managed by transcatheter arterial embolization: a case report.Am J Case Rep. 2022; 16e934173Google Scholar eyJraWQiOiI4ZjUxYWNhY2IzYjhiNjNlNzFlYmIzYWFmYTU5NmZmYyIsImFsZyI6IlJTMjU2In0.eyJzdWIiOiI4Y2VkNjBjMDgwZTg2NjAwNjc4ODI4OTkxZDk3YzUxYyIsImtpZCI6IjhmNTFhY2FjYjNiOGI2M2U3MWViYjNhYWZhNTk2ZmZjIiwiZXhwIjoxNjc1NzYwNDkwfQ.aGsxHuVrG046F2O67mFbDXdJB6uhIDHZjF-VVT7E1fYtLhHfdCLzNltHhT0RT158jaWjvBTv25NgeV81SQjlTrQW-79H4JOf69to6txArmtMBwW2KcFvDfw24ax6S2r6eABepzn1FIyvo4b0aFRpxFkEthGCjuyrn9MZbsjU2tg8FBSfRnHu0VqpnjHRjMZJJiLuukNRQ0ocM3iPypHr8FHzzoKThdbwG5SzMrnWWJ3otinL-F76RTTvuG6Y68GHo2Wn1r7ZmmfjYNetoc0JyR0Ygn8MTis-gHNwDBhNs2wB1vLQKM9e-n3tTxVBHqyTxCBKv-IqT8cf2TBvxcHhDQ Download .mp4 (2.78 MB) Help with .mp4 files Video E1Bedside echocardiogram in parasternal long axis view demonstrated a hematoma (asterisk) in the posterior mediastinum, surrounding the descending aorta (arrowhead), and compressing the left atrium (visible at 00:00 to 00:05). Point-of-care ultrasound of the epigastrium revealing a well-defined hypoechoic lesion (arrow) posterior to the descending aorta, correlated with the pseudoaneurysm seen on computed tomography angiography (visible at 00:06 to 00:12).