title: Preferential atherosclerosis at the aortic junction of the ligamentum arteriosum: clinical significance and pathological correlation.
abstract: Clinical experience with 5 patients who had complications of atherosclerosis within the aorta at the site of the obliterated ductus arteriosus suggested the occurrence of clinically significant preferential atherosclerosis at this location. To examine this hypothesis, the clinical findings in these patients (4 with saccular aneurysm and 1 with systemic emboli from an ulcerated plaque at this location) were correlated with postmortem examination of the aortic isthmus in 40 consecutive cadavers. The point of ductal closure was the area of most severe atheromatous involvement in 32 of the 40 cadavers, and 25 of the 40 specimens demonstrated ulcerated plaques at this location. Microscopical examination consistently demonstrated intimal irregularity or disruption and thinning of the aortic media in this area. These studies indicate that preferential atherosclerosis occurs at the aortic end of the obliterated ducts arteriosus and that these atherosclerotic changes can be a clinically significant development.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002417:Cattle; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004373:Ductus Arteriosus / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology