
A Syphilitic Aortic Aneurysm:
an old Friend Revisited
1319-1321
Correspondence
Dr. Uday Bande
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine,
Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubli,
Karnataka, India.
Phone: 09449340900
E-mail: udayphysici@yahoo.co.in
An aortic aneurysm which is secondary to Syphilis, is a rare entity these days. A 45-year-old female presented with an insidious onset of breathlessness for evaluation. The patient was found to have a mediastinal mass. Contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) showed the presence of an aortic aneurysm with an intra-mural clot. Compression atelectasis of the left lung and a moderate left pleural effusion were also noticed. The VDRL and the TPHA tests were done, since this morphology of an aneurysm on the radiographic imaging led to a suspicion of Syphilis .The patient was proved to be have Syphilis, which was the aetiological cause of aneurysm in this case. The patient succumbed due to a massive haemoptysis, within one week of the diagnosis. The present report highlights the need to test every suspected syphilitic aortic aneurysm with both the VDRL and the TPHA tests, since the former alone are likely to give false negative results in late Syphilis. Also, this report highlights the importance of an early intervention in such cases, which may otherwise prove to be fatal.