A case of an upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to a ruptured dissection of a right aortic arch.

Abstract

We report a case of severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage with a rare underlying cause. The patient was unconscious when he was admitted to the hospital. No chest radiogram was performed. Routine diagnostic measures, including endoscopy, failed to reveal the origin of the bleeding, which was believed to originate from the esophagus secondary to a peptic ulcer or varices. Exploratory laparotomy added no further information, but contrast-enhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT) of the chest showed dextroposition of the widened aortic arch with a ruptured type-B dissection and a consecutive aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF). The patient died on the day of admission. Noninvasive MSCT angiography gives rapid diagnostic information on patients with occult upper gastrointestinal bleeding and should be considered before more invasive conventional angiography or surgery.

• Authors: Christine Born, Andreas Forster, Clemens Rock, Klaus-Jürgen Pfeifer, Johannes Rieger, Maximilian Reiser
• Journal: Cardiovascular and interventional radiology (Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol) 2003 Sep-Oct Vol. 26 Issue 5 Pg. 506-9 ISSN: 0174-1551 [Print] United States
• PMID: 14753317 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Aortic Dissection (complications)
• Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic (complications)
• Aortic Rupture (complications)
• Esophageal Fistula (etiology)
• Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (diagnostic imaging, etiology)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Radiography