Mural Thrombus in the Normal-Appearing Descending Thoracic Aorta of a Chronic Smoker

作者：Habib Habib^*; Hsu Judy; Winchell Patricia Jo; Daoko Joseph

来源：Texas Heart Institute Journal, 2013, 40(5): 619-622.

• Anticoagulants/therapeutic use
• aorta, thoracic/pathology/radiography/surgery
• aortic diseases/diagnosis/etiology/therapy
• diagnostic imaging
• embolism/diagnosis/etiology
• endothelium, vascular/physiology
• risk factors
• smoking/physiopathology
• thrombosis/diagnosis/etiology/surgery/therapy

Thrombus formation in an atherosclerotic or aneurysmal descending thoracic aorta is a well-described, frequently encountered vascular condition. In comparison, thrombus formation in a normal-appearing descending thoracic aorta is reported far less often.
We describe the case of a 46-year-old woman who had splenic and renal infarctions secondary to embolic showers from a large, mobile thrombus in a morphologically normal proximal descending thoracic aorta. After the patient underwent anticoagulation, stent-grafting, and surgical bypass to correct an arterial blockage caused by the stent-graft, she resumed a relatively normal life. In contrast with other cases of a thrombotic but normal-appearing descending thoracic aorta, this patient had no known malignancy or systemic coagulative disorders; her sole risk factor was chronic smoking. We discuss our patient's case and review the relevant medical literature, focusing on the effect of smoking on coagulation physiology.

• 出版日期2013-12