THORACIC AORTIC THROMBOSIS AS A CAUSE OF BOWEL ISCHEMIA - A CASE-REPORT

Acute occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is a devastati ng disease with a high mortality rate. Among its causes is thromboembo lism from the heart or from an aortic aneursym. The authors report a s ixty-four-year-old woman who sustained acute occlusion of the SMA from a very large thrombus located on the medial wall of the thoracic aort a, unrelated to an aneurysm. The thrombus was pedunculated and occupie d over two thirds of the aortic lumen. Transesophageal echocardiograph y (TEE) proved to be a valuable tool in diagnosis. The appearance of t he thrombus on computed tomographic scan very closely resembled a type B aortic dissection and may have been interpreted as such if the TEE result had not been available.