[Thoracic involvement in Behçet's vasculitis]

[Bilateral chylothorax in Behçet disease]

L'atteinte médiastino-pulmonaire de la maladie de Behçet est représentée essentiellement par la thrombose de la veine cave supérieure et l'angéite pulmonaire. L'association de la maladie et du chylothorax est rare, sa prise en charge n'est pas codifiée. Nous rapportant un cas clinique concernant la survenue d'un chylothorax bilatéral secondaire à une thrombose cave supérieure dans un contexte de maladie de Behçet.

Superior vena cava syndrome revealing a Behçet's disease

Introduction

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a rare vasculitis in sub-Saharan Africa. Vascular thrombosis, especially venous, is common in this condition and also constitutes a basic diagnostic criterion. Its affection of the superior vena cava is rather rare with only a few cases described in the literature.

Case report

A 42-year-old male patient was seen at consultation presenting with a pulsatile, warm and slightly painful right latero-cervical swelling extending to the supraclavicular fossa with the presence of collateral venous circulation for three weeks prior to presentation associated with a mild headache. There were oral and genital ulcerations and erythematous skin lesions associated with a history of inflammatory recurrent arthralgia. Chest computed tomo-angiography showed cruoric internal jugular vein thrombosis extending to the superior vena cava with significant venous collateral circulation. The patient was treated with prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) and colchicine (2 mg/day), as well as anticoagulation with heparin and vitamin K antagonist (Acenocoumarol) with regular INR monitoring. Clinical evolution was favorable during hospitalization, with residual discrete right supraclavicular swelling. There was no bleeding associated with anticoagulants use.

Conclusion

The case stresses the importance of maintaining a high degree of suspicion for Behçet’s disease in all cases of venous thrombosis.

Imaging of thoracic aortic disease

Aortic pathology can be more complex to understand on imaging than is initially appreciated. There are a number of imaging modalities that provide excellent assessment of aortic pathology and enable the accurate monitoring of disease. This review discusses the imaging of the most common disease processes that affect the aorta in adults, with the primary focus being on CT and MRI.

Huge pulmonary artery aneurysm

Pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAAs) are uncommon entities. PAAs are caused mostly by trauma (often iatrogenic), infections and Behcet's disease (BD). Less common causes are pulmonary hypertension, congenital heart disease and neoplasm. BD is a multisystem disorder presenting with recurrent oral and genital ulcerations, as well as ocular involvement, and PAA is one of its rare complications. A case of huge PAA, in which the usual criteria for the clinical diagnosis of BD were present, is described. Transcatheter embolization resulted in clinical improvement.

[Hemoptysis revealing a pulmonary arterial aneurysm on Behçet disease in children: role of computed tomography]

Behçet's disease is a systemic condition whose discovery during hemoptysis on a pulmonary artery aneurysm is rare, especially in children. Through the case of a 11-year-old boy, the authors emphasize the importance of imaging in diagnosis of this disease, whose progression can be fatal if hemoptysis is violent.