Key result
A 76-year-old man presented with right heart failure secondary to an 11-cm syphilitic thoracic aortic aneurysm, highlighting a rare complication of late syphilis.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights a rare presentation of late syphilis where a giant thoracic aortic aneurysm causes right heart failure via compression of the pulmonary artery.
May prompt consideration of syphilitic aortitis in right heart failure; leaves open questions on modern prevalence and screening.
Thoracic aortic aneurysm formation is a known complication of late syphilis. Large aneurysms may cause symptoms via mass effect. When aneurysms compress the pulmonary artery, pulmonary arterial hypertension and right heart failure may result. We report the case of a 76-year-old man who presented with right heart failure secondary to an 11-cm syphilitic thoracic aortic aneurysm, and discuss the evolving epidemiology, complications, diagnosis and management of syphilitic aortitis.
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Tomey et al. (2011) conducted a case report in Syphilitic thoracic aortic aneurysm (n=1). A 76-year-old man presented with right heart failure secondary to an 11-cm syphilitic thoracic aortic aneurysm, highlighting a rare complication of late syphilis.
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