Ruptured left subclavian artery aneurysm presenting as upper airway obstruction in von Recklinghausen's disease.
Aneurysms arising from the subclavian artery are very rare vascular abnormalities in von Recklinghausen's disease, which often have a silent clinical presentation and are difficult to diagnose before rupture. We report a case of von Recklinghausen's disease with life-threatening upper airway obstruction caused by spontaneous rupture of the left subclavian artery aneurysm in a 46-year-old woman. The diagnosis was eventually confirmed by a reconstructed enhanced computed tomography of aorta. We emphasise the importance of it as a differential diagnosis because life-threatening upper airway obstruction may develop in such patient.
Seow
Vei-Ken
VK
Emergency Department, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, No.95 Wen Chang Road, Shih Lin District, Taipei City 111, Taiwan, ROC.
Chong
Chee-Fah
CF
Wang
Tzong-Luen
TL
You
Chi-Fang
CF
Han
He-Yi
HY
Chen
Chien-Chih
CC
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013348:Subclavian Artery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed