Enlarge Descriptive Card Log Book Entry
Rodin Number: 27
E Number: 156
Donor: Ross and Osler
Date: unknown
Size (H x W cm): 20 x 10.5
The specimen shows a 6 cm saccular aneurysm (arrows (A)) involving the orifices of the brachiocephalic and left common carotid (C) arteries. A back view (B) shows the aneurysm between the trachea (T) and the right subclavian and common carotid arteries (arrows).
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Comment
The case was No 520 in one of Osler's lost autopsy books. Although detailed clinical history is not available, the descriptive card suggests the cause of the aneurysm was syphilis. It also indicates that the patient complained of “spasmodic cough” and a “husky voice”, which Rodin speculates might have been secondary to impingement of the aneurysm on the recurrent laryngeal nerve.