[Left hemothorax caused by aortic dissection].
Hemothorax is generally secondary to trauma, invasive thoracic surgery or specific lung of pleural disease. Hemothorax secondary to aortic dissection is rare. We report a case in a 69-year-old man with a history of smoking and hypertension. The patient was referred for exploration of a left pleural opacity with mediastinal widening. Pleural puncture produced a hemorrhagic fluid. The thoracic scan led to the diagnosis of Stanford type B aortic dissection. The patient was given antihypertensive treatment and now has a sixteen month follow-up. Aortic dissection can give rise to hemothorax, especially in a hypertensive subject with an anomalous aortic arch or mediastinal widening on the chest X-ray. Computed tomography generally gives the diagnosis. Treatment may be medical or surgical, depending on the site of the lesion and the severity of the clinical presentation. Aortic dissection is a cause of hemothorax, particularly in patients with favorable conditions or a suggestive radiological anomaly.
Bousnina
S
S
Service de Pneumologie, Pavillon 2, Hôpital de Pneumo-Phtisiologie Abderrahman-Mami, 2080 L'Ariana/Tunis, Tunisie. sophiabousnina@yahoo.fr
Zendah
I
I
Marniche
K
K
Racil
H
H
Kachboura
S
S
Megdiche
M L
ML
Chabbou
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications*; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male