Aneurysms of the intercostal arteries in the presence of aortic coarctation: a rare cause of calcified mediastinal lesions

We present a case of aneurysms of the intercostal arteries formed by chronic collateral circulation, provoked by aortic coarctation in an adult. The calcification of the arterial walls was a remarkable finding. In plain chest X-ray, these aneurysms appeared as masses showing round marginal calcifications in posterosuperior mediastinum. As adult aortic coarctation can remain undetected, the presence of these calcified nodules may cause problems in the radiological differential diagnosis since they have been described very little in the radiological literature. We also show the computed tomography and magnetic resonance findings. (Author) 4 refs