title: Interrupted aortic arch: A misdiagnosed cause of hypertension.
abstract: We present the case of a 47-year-old man with hypertension for over 20 years, referred to our hospital due to mild aortic dilatation detected on a transthoracic echocardiogram. On physical examination weak lower limb pulses and a blood pressure differential of >50 mmHg between arms and legs were detected. Complete interruption of the aortic arch below the left subclavian artery was diagnosed by computed tomography angiography. With this case we aim to draw attention to aortic coarctation and interrupted aortic arch as potential causes of hypertension and to highlight the importance of the physical examination in the diagnosis of secondary causes of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. Electronic address: martacmponte@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponte
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dias Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Conceição
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: João Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vasco
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gama
mesh_terms: D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000002:abnormalities*; D001017:Aortic Coarctation / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Aortic coarctation; Coartação da aorta; Hipertensão; Hypertension; Interrupted aortic arch; Interrupção do arco aórtico