Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Straight back syndrome
- Radiologic Findings
- On chest PA radiograph, the descending thoracic aorta line is obliterated at retrocardiac portion. This finding suggests posterior mediastinal mass or consolidation at the left lower lobe, however, lateral chest radiograph does not demonstrate any consolidation or mass shadow. The lateral chest radiograph revealed a straight thoracic spine with absence of physiological kyphosis. On chest CT, the antero-posterior diameters of thorax and left atrium are short. The reason why the descending thoracic aorta line is obliterated on chest PA radiograph is that left inferior pulmonary vein, left atrium, and ventricle abut the aorta due to compression of the heart.
- Brief Review
- Straight back syndrome results from the shortening of the distance between the sternum and thoracic spine leading to a compression of the heart. The syndrome is caused by the lack of spine kyphosis. Straight back syndrome sometimes produces clinical symptoms suggesting acquired heart abnormalities. However, hemodynamic cardiac functioning is normal. Whereas several authors reported in the sixties that there have been significant organic heart defects (such as mitral valve prolapse), reports in nineties demonstrated this syndrome bore no associations with structural heart diseases
- References
- 1. Tokushima T, Utsunomiya T, Ogawa T, et al. Contrast-enhanced radiographic computed tomographic findings in patients with straight back syndrome. Am J Card Imaging 1996;10(4):228-34.
2. Spapen HD, Reynaert H, Debeuckelaere S, Segers O, Somers G. The straight back syndrome. Neth J Med 1990;36(1-2): 29-31.
3. Arthur JT. Straight-back syndrome. A case report and review of the literature. West Afr J Med 1995;14(1):61-4.
- Keywords
- Vertebra, Congenital,