Publication Date
6-1-2014
Journal
The Texas Heart Journal
DOI
10.14503/THIJ-13-3301
PMID
24955052
Publication Date(s)
June 2014
Language
English
PMCID
PMC4060350
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
6-1-2014
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-Print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Aged, Angioplasty, Balloon, Aorta, Abdominal, Aortic Diseases, Aortography, Arterial Occlusive Diseases, Constriction, Pathologic, Dyspnea, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Angiography, Physical Exertion, Predictive Value of Tests, Stents, Treatment Outcome
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Advanced atherosclerosis of the aorta can cause severe ischemia in the kidneys, refractory hypertension, and claudication. However, no previous reports have clearly associated infrarenal aortic stenosis with shortness of breath. A 77-year-old woman with hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented with exertional dyspnea. Despite extensive testing and observation, no apparent cause for this patient's dyspnea was found. Images revealed severe infrarenal aortic stenosis. After the patient underwent stenting of the aortic occlusion, she had immediate symptomatic improvement and complete resolution of her dyspnea within one month. Twelve months after vascular intervention, the patient remained asymptomatic. In view of the distinct and lasting elimination of dyspnea after angioplasty and stenting of a nearly occluded infrarenal aortic lesion, we hypothesize that infrarenal aortic stenosis might be a treatable cause of exertional dyspnea. Clinicians should consider infrarenal aortic stenosis as a possible cause of dyspnea. Treatment of the stenosis might relieve symptoms.