Thoracic aortic aneurysm: a new etiology of pulmonary cavity

The most frequent chest X-ray finding of descending thoracic aortic aneurys m is an enlargement of medial mediastinum. Haemoptysis caused by thoracic a ortic aneurysm is rare and, normally, when it occurs, it is due to an aorto -bronchopulmonary fistula. We report the case: of an 88 year-old male, heav y smoker with arterial hypertension, who had been operated on for abdominal aneurysm five years before, whose unique symptom was scant haemoptysis and radiologically presented a cavity mass in the upper left lobe. Autopsy rev ealed that the pulmonary cavity mass was due to a descending thoracic aorti c aneurysm.