A case of aortic aneurism, in which a communication with the pulmonary artery was recognised during life by physical signs.

Date:
[cbetween 1800 and 1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of aortic aneurism, in which a communication with the pulmonary artery was recognised during life by physical signs. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    A CASE OF AORTIC ANEURISM, IN WHICH A COMMUNICATION WITH THE PULMONARY ARTERY WAS RECOGNISED DURING LIFE BY PHYSICAL SIGNS. 0 Since the appearance of Dr. Thurnam's memoir but little has been added to our knowledge of varicofe aneurifm within the great cavities. Though fuch cafes are certainly not common, yet they are fufficiently fo to make it defirable that we ftiould be able to recognife them during life. When the communication has been between the aorta and either of the venae cavae at any diftance from the heart, the nature of the difeafe has not been ufually very obfcure. In the only cafe which I have feen of this clafs, the opening was into the fuperior vena cava. Though the patient was only feen once I had no great difficulty in making a corredt diagnofis. The opinion formed was confirmed by pojf mortem examination. Communications with any of the great veflels clofe to the heart prefent more difficulty for various reafons. Perhaps the moft important is that aneurifms originating fo near the heart, as thofe ufually do, rarely attain any great fize, and hence the preflure phenomena, upon which the diagnofis of aneurifm mainly refts, are but ill developed. In the prefent cafe the diagnofis was rather of a preternatural communication between the aorta and pulmonary artery probably aneurifmal, than dire£tly of aneurifm. And it is extremely doubtful whether the aneurifm could have been difcovered previous to the efl:ablifhment of the abnormal communication between it and the pulmonary artery.