title: Complete heart block and severe aortic incompetence in relapsing polychondritis: clinicopathologic findings.
abstract: We describe a patient with relapsing polychondritis who developed fatal cardiac involvement comprising complete heart block, acute aortic incompetence, and cardiovascular collapse. Pathologic studies showed fibrosis of the cardiac conducting system and necrotizing inflammation of the aortic valve, features not previously described in relapsing polychondritis, as well as evidence of coronary artery vasculitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bowness
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Hawley
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dearden
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Walport
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D004452:Echocardiography; D006327:Heart Block / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein