BEHCET'S DISEASE PRESENTING AS RECURRENT RIGHT VENTRICULAR THROMBUS

Abstract

We report the case of a 17-year-old man with Behyet's disease, associated with a recurrent right heart thrombosis and pseudo aneurysm of the abdominal aorta. The patient was admitted to the surgical unit because of malaise, tachycardia, easy fatigability and fever. The patient had a history of long standing low-grade fever, weight loss, fatigue, long-term headaches and non-specific skin lesions of the lower extremities. One month previously, an echocardiographic examination had revealed a right ventricular mass, thought to be a thrombus in an unusual location. The patient had consequently undergone surgery, and pathologic examination had confirmed the mass to be a thrombus.<br />When the patient was subsequently re-admitted to the emergency unit of our center with complaints of severe abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, sinus tachycardia and a pulsatile and tender abdominal mass, a right ventricular thrombus and a large pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta were found on echocardiography and angiography, respectively. The patient underwent resection of the aortic aneurysm and aortoplasty and received immunosuppressive and anticoagulation therapy. The thrombus of the right ventricle disappeared 4 months later.