Spontaneous resolution of tuberculosis related Rasmussen aneurysm in a young West African: A case report

Rasmussen aneurysm (RA) is an uncommon cause of hemoptysis in pulmonary tuberculosis, first described in 1868 by Rasmussen. It is often treated with surgery or endovascular coiling. A few cases of spontaneous resolution with conservative management have been recorded in literature. We present the case of a 44-year old patient who reported with hemoptysis, weight loss, chronic cough and night sweats and was diagnosed of pulmonary tuberculosis on the basis of clinical assessment and chest X-ray. Subsequently, chest CT scan done showed a giant left RA, treated conservatively with antituberculous chemotherapy with complete radiological resolution of aneurysm after 18-month follow-up. We conclude that conservative management of RA is a good alternative in a low resource setting for hemodynamically stable patients.