Case report of a peculiar aneurysm of the ascending aorta: when there is much more beyond an incidental finding

Abstract

Abstract Background Aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are common in male patients around the VI–VII decade of life and most have a degenerative aetiology; otherwise, the occurrence of this disease at a younger age should prompt the search of rarer causes. We report a singular case of ascending aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a young man. Case summary A large AAA accompanied by multivessel dilatation and renal failure of unknown onset was incidentally found in a 23-year-old male during the diagnostic work-up after a car accident. A systemic disease was therefore suspected, and a full clinical investigation revealed the uncommon diagnosis of sarcoidosis accompanied by large vessel vasculitis. Discussion Only a few reports in the literature describe the concurrence of sarcoidosis and large vessel vasculitis (Takayasu arteritis), which may share non-specific immunoinflammatory abnormalities. This case underlines the importance of a multisystem diagnostic approach even in front of an incidental finding that is inconsistent with patient’s age.