Chronic coronary periarteritis in two patients with chronic periaortitis.

Two cases of chronic coronary periarteritis associated with chronic periaortitis are described. In one, the chronic periaortitis took the form of perianeurysmal fibrosis around a thoracic atherosclerotic aneurysm; in the other it resembled idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis. The findings in the two subjects support the unifying concept of chronic periaortitis, to include conditions previously known as idiopathic retroperitoneal or mediastinal fibrosis, perianeurysmal retroperitoneal fibrosis and inflammatory aneurysms of the aorta. The observations are also compatible with the view that the disease is due to hypersensitivity to atheroma.