Successful management of a delayed presentation of traumatic descending thoracic aorta pseudoaneurysm: a literature review based on a case report

• Published in: International journal of emergency medicine Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 87 - 7
• Main Authors: Sadeghian, Mohammad, Ebrahimi, Pouya, Soltani, Parnian, Ghasemi, Massoud, Taheri, Homa, Mehrpooya, Maryam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 15.07.2024; Springer Nature B.V; BMC
• Subjects: Aneurysms; Angiology; Aortic pseudoaneurysm; Cardiac trauma; Cardiology; Case Report; Case reports; Coronary vessels; Dyspnea; Emergency Medicine; Endovascular repair; Injuries; Internal Medicine; Interventional cardiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Non-invasive cardiovascular imaging; Patients; Pediatrics; Thoracic surgery; Transthoracic echocardiography; Aortic pseudoaneurysm; Non-invasive cardiovascular imaging; Cardiac trauma; Interventional cardiology; Transthoracic echocardiography; Endovascular repair
• ISSN: 1865-1380; 1865-1372; 1865-1380
• DOI: 10.1186/s12245-024-00670-w

Background Blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI) is the second leading cause of death due to traumas in young patients. The primary presentation might be chest or interscapular pain, difficulty in breathing, and, in severe cases, hypotension. Considering the rapid deterioration of these patients’ clinical conditions, prompt diagnosis and treatment initiation are crucial. In these injuries, the most involved parts of the aorta are the isthmus (distal to the left subclavian artery) and the descending part in the thorax. Therefore, the main diagnostic strategies include transthoracic echocardiography, CT angiography, and endovascular diagnostic approaches. Case presentation The patient was a 19-year-old male presenting with the symptoms of chest pain, dyspnea, and extremities excruciating pain after a car turnover. The initial evaluation showed no abnormal cardiovascular finding except bilateral hemothorax, addressed with chest tubes. Twelve hours later, when the patient was under observation for orthopedic surgeries, his chest pain and dyspnea started, and TTE and CTA showed a grade three descending aneurysm of the aorta. The patient was treated immediately with an endovascular procedure of stent implantation. A delayed debranching surgery was also performed, which resulted in desirable outcomes and uneventful follow-up. Conclusion Although open thoracic surgery is the main and almost the only option for treating aneurysms of the aorta in hemodynamically unstable patients, the endovascular procedure has shown superior outcomes in selected patients with appropriate anatomy. Debranching surgery, which can be done simultaneously or with delay after the initial procedure, has proven protective against thromboembolic cerebral events. Clinical key point Patients with an aneurysm of the aorta should be transported to a medical center with a multidisciplinary team for an urgent evaluation and treatment. The initial resuscitation and diagnosis are challenging, considering the fatal nature of these injuries, and the selection of the treatment is based on the patient's clinical condition and evaluated anatomy in cardiovascular imaging.