INFLAMMATORY ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM--A FORM OF CHRONIC PERIAORTITIS.

Chronic periaortitis represents a unique pathogenic concept for three entities: Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Idiopathic Retroperitoneal Fibrosis and Perianeurysmal Retroperitoneal Fibrosis. The fundamental meaning of an inflammatory reaction to advanced atherosclerosis has been developed on the bottom of clinical and histological features. The triad of abdominal pain, weight loss and elevated inflammatory markers: erythrocyte sedimentation rate/C-reactive protein in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms revealed on contrast-enhanced computer tomography is highly suggestive for inflammatory aneurysm. We report a case of a heavy-smoker adult male presented with suddenly abdominal symptoms suggestive for mesenteric ischemia which have proved to be due to inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm. The most favorable management of patients with inflammatory aneurysm is ambiguous. Surgical approach seems reasonable even supposing inflammatory aneurysm emerges less likely to rupture than the atherosclerotic variant. Corticosteroids are used in inoperable inflammatory aneurysm, even if is well known that this treatment does not change the long-term outcome of the disease. Surgical-open or Endovascular Repair of the aneurysm is the elective treatment.