Traumatic thoracic aortic rupture: Caught between a thoracic vertebral osteophyte and a hard place

A Surprising Cause of Contained Aortic Rupture: Perforation from a Lumbar Osteophyte

We describe a patient with contained aortic rupture due to perforation from a protruding lumbar osteophyte, who was treated by open surgery. This case underlines that less common aortic pathologies are possible, which require a high suspicion index to be diagnosed.

A Case of a Paracardial Osteophyte Causing Atrial Compression

Osteophytes are pointed or beaked osseous outgrowths at the margins of articular surfaces that are often associated with degenerative changes of articular cartilage. They are the most common aspect of osteoarthritis and they infrequently cause symptoms by compression of the adjacent anatomic structures, such as nerves, vessels, bronchi, and esophagus. We present here a rare case of a patient with a left atrial deformation by a large osteophyte.