title: [Aortic diverticulum: differential diagnosis of traumatic lesions of the thoracic aorta].
abstract: We report the case of a 31-year-old patient with a chest trauma after a mountaineering accident. Contrast enhanced spiral computed tomography of the thorax showed a lesion of the aortic isthmus, suspected of being an aortic disruption. As the diagnosis of aortic rupture could not be formally established with computed tomography, a transoesophageal echocardiography and an aortic angiography were performed which showed a ductus diverticulum, representing one of the differential diagnoses of traumatic aortic disruption. A knowledge of this entity and its diagnostic criteria may avoid an unnecessary thoracotomy.
authors.affiliation: Département d'anesthésie et de réanimation I, centre hospitalier universitaire de Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lavagne
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacquot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000293:injuries*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004240:Diverticulum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis