Asymptomatic Acute Dissection of the Abdominal Aorta as a Rare Complication of Takayasu Disease

The present study describes a case of a 24-year-old who had an asymptomatic acute dissection of the abdominal sub-renal aorta along with an inflammatory syndrome suggestive of Takayasu disease. Aortic dissection is a rare complication of Takayasu's disease that has only been reported a few times in the literature. The type of aortic dissection (type III b, according to the classification of De Bakey and Stanford) confirmed by computed tomography scan of the aorta (CT scan) in our patient. The patient underwent conservative medical treatment.

Late Recognition of Andersen's Disease in Advanced Heart Failure

Glucogen storage diseases such as Andersen's disease are inherited disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. Cardiac involvement in Andersen's disease is extremely unusual and difficult to diagnose, especially in elderly individuals with atypical presentations. The following is a case of a 61-year-old man with a family history of muscle weakness who presented with congestive heart failure and was found to have Andersen disease cardiomyopathy. The diagnosis was made in view of the normal negative workup for cardiomyopathy, massive glucose tetrasaccharide excretion, and normal alpha-glucosidase activity. The patient rapidly deteriorated and passed away. This case highlights the need to consider storage diseases in adults with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy of uncertain etiology in the presence of liver or muscle involvement