Sudden death due to rupture of an aortic syphilitic aneurysm

Maksim A Kislov; Mohit Chauhan; Konstatin N Krupin; Olga L Romanova; Roger W Byard

doi:10.1007/s12024-021-00419-4

Sudden death due to rupture of an aortic syphilitic aneurysm

Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2022 Mar;18(1):106-109. doi: 10.1007/s12024-021-00419-4. Epub 2021 Oct 16.

Authors

Maksim A Kislov¹, Mohit Chauhan², Konstatin N Krupin³, Olga L Romanova^{4

5}, Roger W Byard^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Forensic Medicine, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia. kislov@1msmu.ru.
² Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India.
³ Department of Forensic Medicine, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
⁴ Department of General Physiology, Medical Institute of Russian University of People Friendship, Moscow, Russia.
⁵ Research Institute of Human Morphology, Moscow, Russia.
⁶ Forensic Science SA, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁷ Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

PMID: 34655042
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-021-00419-4

Abstract

A 26-year-old man who suddenly collapsed and died was found at autopsy to have a ruptured aortic aneurysm which had the classic "tree bark" appearance of tertiary syphilis. Tracking of blood into the pericardial sac had resulted in sudden death from cardiac tamponade. Serological results were consistent with syphilis and HIV was excluded. Sudden death in a young HIV-negative man from the effects of syphilis is exceedingly rare nowadays.

Keywords: Aortic aneurysm; Cardiac tamponade; Hemopericardium; Sudden death; Syphilitic aortitis.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Aortic Aneurysm*
Aortic Rupture*
Death, Sudden / etiology
HIV Infections*
Humans
Male
Syphilis*
Syphilis, Cardiovascular* / complications