Painless left hemorrhagic pleural effusion: An unusual presentation of dissecting ascending aortic aneurysm

Stephen H. Little, John Johnson, Be Yung Moon, Sanjay Mehta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aortic dissection is a catastrophic event that is commonly associated with severe pain, massive hemorrhage, and high mortality. In this report, we present the case of a 31-year-old man who presented with painless, hemorrhagic left pleural effusion. Further investigation revealed a 9-cm dissecting ascending aortic aneurysm that was thought to be due to a congenitally bicuspid aortic valve. We suggest that ascending aortic aneurysm be included in the differential diagnosis of hemorrhagic pleural effusion, even in the absence of the classic features of aortic dissection, such as chest pain, advanced age, or history of hypertension.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1478-1480
Number of pages3
JournalCHEST
Volume116
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1999

Keywords

  • Aortic aneurysm
  • Aortic dissection
  • Bicuspid aortic valve
  • Hemorrhagic effusion
  • Pleural effusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
  • Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Painless left hemorrhagic pleural effusion: An unusual presentation of dissecting ascending aortic aneurysm'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this