Circumferential Fibrosis of the Ascending Aorta After COVID Infection

Charles S Roberts; William C Roberts

doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2022.07.037

Circumferential Fibrosis of the Ascending Aorta After COVID Infection

Am J Cardiol. 2022 Dec 1:184:154-156. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2022.07.037. Epub 2022 Sep 30.

Authors

Charles S Roberts¹, William C Roberts²

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Cardiac Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center; Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC); Heart and Vascular Institute of BUMC, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address: Charles.Roberts@bswhealth.org.
² Internal Medicine, Baylor University Medical Center; Pathology, Baylor University Medical Center; Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC); Heart and Vascular Institute of BUMC, Dallas, Texas.

Abstract

After recovering from severe COVID-19 infection, 2 women presented with chest pain. Computed tomographic angiography suggested acute ascending aortic dissection. At operation in both patients, the ascending aorta was encased in dense fibrous tissue, within which were focal collections of mononuclear cells, including many plasma cells. There was no entry tear or dissection. Such findings we have not encountered previously, and PubMed search of "periaortic fibrosis and COVID-19" yielded no similar cases or possible relation.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aorta / diagnostic imaging
Aorta / surgery
Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic* / surgery
Aortic Dissection* / complications
Aortic Dissection* / diagnosis
COVID-19* / complications
Computed Tomography Angiography
Female
Fibrosis
Humans