Aortic aneurysm differential diagnosis

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Overview

Aortic aneurysms must be differentiated from other diseases that cause either abdominal or thoracic pain, such as acute pancreatitis, ruptured viscus, and acute pericarditis.

Differentiating Aortic Aneurysm from other Diseases

Thoracic aortic aneurysms: differential diagnosis include other causes of chest pain: acute aortic dissection, acute pericarditis, aortic regurgitation, heart failure, hypertensive emergencies, infective endocarditis, myocardial Infarction, pulmonary embolism, superior vena cava syndrome. [1]

Abdominal aortic aneurysms: differential diagnosis include causes of pulsatile abdominal mass and/or abdominal pain such as ruptured viscus, strangulated hernia, ruptured visceral artery aneurysms, mesenteric ischemia, acute cholecystitis, ruptured hepatobiliary cancer, acute pancreatitis, lymphomas, and diverticular abscess.[2]

These conditions can be easily differentiated using abdominal or thoracic imaging.

References

  1. Thoracic Aneurysm Differential Diagnoses - Medscape available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/761627-differential
  2. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm - Mayo Clinichttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm/symptoms-causes/syc-20350688