[Inflammatory lesions of the aorta and its branches, Introduction and etiological aspects (excluding Takayasu's disease)(author's transl)].

Acquired lesions of the aorta are not confined to atherosclerosis alone, and diagnostic, etiological, pathogenic, and therapeutic problems may be raised when confronted with less frequent infective or inflammatory processes. Syphilitic aortitis was for a long time considered to be the only infective lesion involving the aorta, but bacterial (mycotic) aneurysms were now known to exist. Many pathogenic agents may be involved: staphylococcus, Salmonella, pneumococcus, Proteus, Klebsiella, Brucella, more rarely KB, Rickettsia, or nematodes. Inflammatory causes have been recognized more recently, epidemiological and histological studies confirming their presence and the multiple etiologies involved: Horton's disease, rheumatic disorders, connective tissue diseases.