Spontaneous Rupture of Abdominal Aorta due to Penetrating Atheromatous Ulcer: A Rare Cause of Sudden Death in a Young Individual

Spontaneous rupture of aorta due to penetrating atheromatous ulcer is a rare cause of sudden death in young individuals. Cystic medial necrosis of the aorta in the absence of any known predisposing factors is also uncommon in young age. We present a rare case of penetrating atheromatous ulcer resulting in fatal rupture of aorta affected by extensive cystic medial necrosis in a young man.

Grade IV atheromatous plaques are prone to form ulcers. The resulting intimal tear causes haematoma formation in individuals with a normal tunica media with intact elastic fibers and smooth muscle coat. Coexistance of grade IV cystic medial necrosis had probably predisposed to extension of haematoma into the deeper layers of the wall of aorta and rupture at a young age even without aneurysm or dissection of the aorta. The knowledge of such entities contributes to determine the cause of sudden death and timely intervention prevents fatalities.