12-30-2008, 06:05 PM
A 38-year-old woman presents with complaints of fevers
and chest pain. She is noted to have a widened mediastinum
on chest radiograph, and a diastolic murmur is present at
the lower left sternal border. She is hypertensive, with a
blood pressure of 180/72 mmHg. All blood cultures are negative
on three occasions from separate anatomic sites drawn
6 h apart. Further evaluation of the murmur demonstrates a
dilation of the aortic root to 4 cm with subsequent aortic regurgitation.
She is diagnosed with aortitis. Which of the following
is the least likely cause of aortitis in this patient?
A. Ankylosing spondylitis
B. Giant cell arteritis
C. Rheumatoid arthritis
D. Syphilis
E. Takayasu™s arteritis
and chest pain. She is noted to have a widened mediastinum
on chest radiograph, and a diastolic murmur is present at
the lower left sternal border. She is hypertensive, with a
blood pressure of 180/72 mmHg. All blood cultures are negative
on three occasions from separate anatomic sites drawn
6 h apart. Further evaluation of the murmur demonstrates a
dilation of the aortic root to 4 cm with subsequent aortic regurgitation.
She is diagnosed with aortitis. Which of the following
is the least likely cause of aortitis in this patient?
A. Ankylosing spondylitis
B. Giant cell arteritis
C. Rheumatoid arthritis
D. Syphilis
E. Takayasu™s arteritis