Abstract
Bloody sputum and hemoptysis are strictly defined as bleeding from the lower respiratory tract or a lung. Patients frequently visit otolaryngology wards complaining of bloody sputum and hemoptysis, typically with few symptoms. We herein report a case of a 69-year-old male complaining of bloody sputum caused by a thoracic aortic aneurysm. The patient visited our hospital in July 2015 with a chief complaint of hemosputum starting two months prior to his visit. Local findings revealed bloody sputum inside the tracheal wall. Acid-fast bacteria and cytodiagnosis test findings for the sputum were negative. A chest enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination was performed the day after admission, and the left trachea was found to be pressed by the expansion of a thoracic aortic aneurysm. These CT findings may have been the cause of the patient's bloody sputum. The patient was admitted to the emergency ward and underwent stentgraft insertion surgery. Following surgery, his bloody sputum decreased daily, and he was discharged in mid-August. Although a thoracic aortic aneurysm is rarely the cause of bloody sputum, if such an aneurysm is not at least considered as a potential cause, the patient's course may turn fatal.
