[Paraparesis of the lower extremities after acute aortic dissection and a thoracic meningioma].
METHODS
A 70-year-old woman with acute chest pain was admitted to a hospital in stable cardiovascular conditions. The patient had no history of cardio-circulatory disease.


METHODS
An acute myocardial infarction was excluded by ECG and blood tests. A computed tomography (CT) revealed an aortic dissection (Stanford type A) which extended to the left subclavian artery.


METHODS
She was transferred to our institution and underwent urgent operation during which the ascending aorta and the proximal arch were replaced by a prosthesis. A few days after surgery, she developed progressive paresis of both legs. A control CT scan of the aorta revealed no evidence of a persisting aortic dissection. However, magnetic resonance tomography showed a meningioma of the thoracic spinal cord. The patient underwent surgical resection of the meningioma and her neurological symptoms diminished over the next few days.


CONCLUSIONS
Besides spinal ischemia, paresis of both legs after acute aortic dissection may be caused by rare lesions such as a thoracic meningioma.
Sakka
S G
SG
Klinik für Anästhesiologie und Intensivtherapie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. Samir.Sakka@med.uni-jena.de
Hüttemann
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008579:Meningioma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D020335:Paraparesis / Q000209:etiology*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed