Medical image of the week: coral reef aorta

Abstract

No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A 52-year-old woman with no past medical history presented to the emergency department with signs and symptoms concerning for pneumonia. Chest x-ray showed incidental findings of a calcified aortic mass. Subsequently, a follow up computed tomography scan (CT) was obtained which showed coral reef aorta (Figure 1). On physical examination, vital signs were only significant for mildly elevated blood pressure to 146/62 mmHg. She also had normal and equal pulses and pressures throughout all 4 extremities. In retrospect, patient had complaints of bilateral lower extremity claudication on strenuous exercise. Coral reef aorta, a rare condition that was first described in 1984 by Qvarfordt et al. (1) is characterized by an eccentric, heavily calcified polypoid lesion and stenosis of the juxtarenal and suprarenal aorta. The rock-hard, irregular, gritty, whitish surface of the calcification strongly resembled a coral reef. The most common presentation is severe hypertension and intermittent claudication. Magnetic resonance angiogram …

Keywords

• aorta
• aortic diseases
• CT scan
• arteriosclerosis
• female
• woman
• hypertension
• claudication
• aortography
• coral reef