title: Early sternal erosion and luetic aneurysms of thoracic aorta: report of 6 cases and analysis of cause-effect relationship.
abstract: Six patients with luetic aneurysm of the ascending aorta eroding the sternum are presented. The erosion was an early and principal presentation and the site of erosion and location and morphology of aneurysm were identical in all six patients. The erosion mainly affected the right half of the manubrium and medial end of right clavicle. The aneurysms arose from the junction of the ascending and transverse arches of the thoracic aorta and had narrow opening close to the origin of the innominate artery. The identical presentation, aetiology, angiographic location and morphology, corroborated further at surgery, suggests that syphilitic aneurysms in this location have a strong tendency to cause early sternal erosion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Sciences & Interventional Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala 695011, India. narendrakb2001@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Narendra Kuber
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Bodhey
authors.forename: Arun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Kurur Sankaran
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Neelakandhan
authors.forename: Madathipat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unnikrishnan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000785:Aneurysm, Infected / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology; D001027:Aortography; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D016122:Brachiocephalic Trunk / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008371:Manubrium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013247:Sternoclavicular Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013249:Sternum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013589:Syphilis, Cardiovascular / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed