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Case Report| Volume 117, ISSUE 8, P1381-1385, April 15, 2016

Massive Diffuse Calcification of the Ascending Aorta and Minimal Focal Calcification of the Abdominal Aorta in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Published:January 28, 2016DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.01.034
Massive Diffuse Calcification of the Ascending Aorta and Minimal Focal Calcification of the Abdominal Aorta in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
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      A 41-year-old woman, the mother of 3 offspring, with likely heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, had been asymptomatic until age 38 when angina pectoris and exertional dyspnea appeared leading to the discovery of severe multivessel coronary artery disease and a massively calcified ascending aorta. Coronary bypass grafting using the right and left internal mammary arteries did not alleviate the symptoms. Evidence of overt heart failure subsequently appeared and that led to heart transplantation at age 41. She died 22 days later. The occurrence of massive diffuse calcification of the ascending aorta and minimal focal calcification of the abdominal aorta is rare and in the patient described it appears to be the consequence of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.
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      Article info

      Publication history

      Published online: January 28, 2016
      Accepted: January 22, 2016
      Received in revised form: January 22, 2016
      Received: December 18, 2015

      Footnotes

      This study was funded by the Baylor Health Care System Foundation through the Cardiovascular Research Review Committee and in cooperation with the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute.

      See page 1385 for disclosure information.

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.01.034

      Copyright

      © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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