A case with giant right coronary artery aneurysm in a patient with Behçet's disease

J Cardiol Cases. 2011 Aug 11;4(2):e76-e79. doi: 10.1016/j.jccase.2011.07.004. eCollection 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Behçet's disease is a chronic, relapsing, multi-systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent orogenital aphthous ulcers, uveitis, and skin lesions. Vascular involvement affects the veins more commonly than the arteries of these patients. Arterial involvement may include aneurysm formation, occlusive disease, and stenosis, with the most common sites being the abdominal aorta and femoral and pulmonary arteries. Thus, coronary arterial involvement is very rare but can cause serious complications when it occurs. In this report, we present a 28-year-old male patient with Behçet's disease who developed a giant right coronary artery aneurysm with minimal cardiac manifestation of a recently developed slight palpitation. The patient underwent surgical repair. We present the results of cardiovascular imaging and histopathological examinations. Our case demonstrates the necessity of regular cardiovascular examination for patients with Behçet's disease, even for those without cardiac symptoms.

Keywords: Arteritis; Cardiac computed tomography; Pericardial mass.