Jd. Cohen et al., MASSIVE SPONTANEOUS HEMOTHORAX AS A PRESENTING SIGN OF ANEURYSMAL RUPTURE OF THE INTERNAL THORACIC ARTERY - A CASE-REPORT, Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, 39(3), 1998, pp. 383-385
Massive spontaneous hemothorax is a very uncommon, life-threatening si
tuation, Acute dissection and ruptured aorta can be one of the differe
ntial diagnoses, but usually the clinical feature is completely differ
ent, and very few patients have survived this event and received medic
al attention. Among other causes of spontaneous bleeding, some are ext
remely rare, demanding precise diagnosis and judicial and immediate in
tervention. We describe a patient who presented with a massive hemotho
rax. There was no immediately apparent cause. Emergent angiography rev
ealed active bleeding from an extremely unusual source: aneurysmal dil
atation of the internal thoracic artery.