Aortic isthmus massive calcifications: an unusual case of secondary hypertension

Abstract

We present the case of a 63-year-old woman who was hospitalized five times in 4 months for episodes of heart failure, associated with a sustained hypertension despite a fivefold therapy. The pathophysiological mechanism of the hypertension was a secondary hyperaldosteronism linked to a renal hypoperfusion due to the narrowing of the thoracic aorta by a huge calcified plaque, mimicking an aortic coarctation.

Keywords: Aortic plaque; Heart failure; Pseudocoarctation; Secondary hypertension.