Recurrent tamponade and aortic dissection in syphilis.

Syphilitic cardiovascular disease has been described since the 19th century, mainly on autopsy series. Major clinical manifestations are aortic aneurysm, aortic insufficiency, and coronary ostial stenosis. The diagnosis of syphilitic cardiovascular disease is based mainly on positive serologic tests and overt clinical manifestations. We present here a rare and unusual clinical presentation of a tertiary syphilis with recurrent tamponade and type B aortic dissection, whose positive diagnosis was made by polymerase chain reaction on pericardial fluid analysis.