[Thoracic dissecting aortic aneurysm. Contribution to the differential diagnosis of increased enzymes indicating cholestasis, fever and thoracic pain].

A 68 years old female patient was admitted with thoracic pain and fever (40.0 degrees C). A coronary heart disease was known. The liver was enlarged, the cholestatic enzymes elevated without bilirubinaemia. In the blood culture gram-negative bacilli was found. Our diagnosis: septic cholangitis, coronary ischemia. She was better by antibiotic therapy, the fever fell. Few days later she suddenly died. Autopsy demonstrated a serious arteriosclerosis of the aorta, an aneurysm on the aortic arc with chronic bleeding in the environmental tissue with inflammation and coronary arteriosclerosis. The liver was normal.